[Politics]: Our support for Tinubu political, not spiritual – Leader, Abuja pastors

Our support for Tinubu political, not spiritual – Leader, Abuja pastors.

President, Nigeria Coalition of Pastors for Good Leaders, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin, speaks to SOLOMON ODENIYI about the group’s help for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, notwithstanding the Christian Association of Nigeria’s opposition to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim price tag

Please tell us a chunk approximately yourself?

I am the chief of the Episcopal Church right here in Abuja. The group is a vision from God to me in 2013 for the duration of the administration of (former President) Goodluck Jonathan. God had revealed to me that Goodluck might no longer win his reelection regardless of taking part in the endorsement of huge pastors in the country. We leave out it while we seek the face of pastors of big gatherings in preference to God. I advised the humans that mattered then because I changed into near them, but they did no longer concentrate to me. I addressed the click and spoke out at the vision. Immediately after the election and the prophecy became proper, I commenced to have a sense that we have to begin to make sure that Christians participate in elections.

Visions must be carried out. In 2018 a person took me to a candidate, and we mobilised our pastors for the candidate. Members of our group are majorly grassroots pastors. We believe that they have got personal relationships with their members. Our reason is to garner votes for a specific candidate and we trust that those pastors on the grassroots are toward their worshippers and can talk to them and lobby them to guide a selected candidate. This became what we did for the candidate in 2018.

How massive is the club of the Nigeria Coalition of Pastors for Good Leaders that you head?

We have our executives all around the (36) states of the federation. We have a database for that. In every nation, we have a nine-guy government committee. We can produce the call and address of the church for each person who wishes to verify. We are not a faceless organization. At the metropolis hall conferences in which we declared our aid for (the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola) Tinubu, we had no fewer than 630 pastors and that is only for Abuja. We have greater than 1,500 pastors who are individuals in Abuja. We are making plans towards our summit in Abuja wherein 4,000 pastors had been penciled down to attend. Our participants are greater than that; if now not for financial constraints we are able to have extra than that variety. We are doing this on our personal. The purpose is for those pastors to talk to their individuals. So, if I say these days that I can provide Tinubu 10 million votes, I understand what I am saying.

Is your institution, Nigeria Coalition of Pastors for Good Leaders, a registered group?

Of direction, we’re. We first operated below the Nigerian League of Pastors for Good Governance; we simply changed the call.I had been the chief of the group due to the fact 2018.

Your group made information headlines days in the past after endorsing Tinubu even as the Christian Association of Nigeria condemned your action. Did you anticipate that reaction from CAN?

CAN has taken a function at the Muslim-Muslim price ticket, which to me is political. If we are truely Christians and listen from the Holy Spirit, this price ticket is a announcement from God to actualise the location of Christians inside the international, which is that Christianity is beyond faith. Christianity is a way of lifestyles. This situation staring us in the face have to draw our attention to the fact that Christianity is beyond religion. Let me additionally say that these candidates emerged neither thru the making in their birthday party nor their ethnic groups. It is the making of God. God wants Christians to recognize that we’ve deviated from the norms that say Christianity is beyond a faith. I want to apply this possibility to speak with Muslims in the u . S ., to say that what we are doing is what is expected of authentic Christians. What we are after is ideal governance and that is why we are swallowing this bitter tablet.

You alluded to the reality that CAN had again and again rejected the APC’s Muslim-Muslim price tag. Why have then you definitely chosen to take a opposite function? Are pastors underneath your institution no longer sure by means of CAN’s decision?

If you look at what’s taking place within the political circles, you need to be very cautious and appearance back at what is occurring to Christians in the usa. Ethnicity is ticker than faith within the u . S .. God does now not trouble if you are a Christian or a Muslim. Today, I am a Christian, and the following day I can be a Muslim but I am a Yoruba guy today, there may be no way I can prevent being one. We can limit our political demand to ethnicity, that is why we help a candidate from the South. We do now not focus our support on religion; this is the message we are passing. We need to apprehend something, it’s far their turn nowadays; day after today it can be a Christian-Christian price tag. What we’re doing could be a pointer in case of any competition.

Isn’t your movement able to inflicting a department in CAN?

We are not against CAN and the placement that CAN has taken can’t prevent any Christian from vote casting for the candidate of their desire. The majority of CAN officers and contributors belong to special political events.

We will continue to liaise with them. Today (Wednesday), I had a assembly with a few CAN officers to liaise with them and attraction to them that CAN must be impartial and allow Christians to vote for the candidate in their choice. CAN ought to please overlook approximately this Muslim-Muslim ticket trouble. I will even advocate to CAN that as a Muslim has taken the vice presidential function, they must agitate for Christian Senate President and Speaker. Those positions are even greater important. What is the responsibility of the Vice President? He is not anything greater than a spare tyre. I plead with CAN not to overheat the polity.

One of the motives CAN gave for opposing the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket is the tear that the interest of Christians will no longer be looked after and they will face expanded persecution. Do you believe you studied this worry is unfounded?

What I expected our Christian groups to be combating for is beyond who becomes the vp. (Major General Muhammadu) Buhari has a vice president who’s a pastor, can he forestall him from doing some thing? There are killings happening everywhere and we’ve got a Muslim President and a Christian Vice President that did not alternate something. But now, we want to use this opportunity to inform our Muslim brothers and sister that we have standard the Muslim-Muslim, they need to also take delivery of us, we are prepared to live with them anywhere they are inside the u . S . A .. What we’ve executed will in addition solidify the bond among the 2 religions.

There are insinuations from some quarters that your group obtained financial items from Tinubu. How do you react to that?

If you are a true guy of God, you cannot be employed or paid to work towards your faith. Faith is religious and not bodily. Don’t additionally forget, each person is a political animal. We are into politics on the way to acquire true governance. Also, we are trying to exchange the perception of Christianity in Nigeria. If you have a look at it, maladministration has rubbed off on religion. In Nigeria, Christians now pray to God for the simple matters the government should have put in region. I see no motive for Christians to be praying to God to journey out or for soliciting for a miracle to get employed, to pay house hire, or get admitted into universities or polytechnics. If you visit maximum churches, these are what congregations are praying approximately. People are not going to church to praise God however to make needs for what the government must have carried out. If we participate within the procedure and demand what we want, that is what we’re doing, is there some thing horrific in that?

And you are not doing this in anticipation of political appointment, contracts or favours?

I changed into as soon as a Special Assistant to a minister under Jonathan and I actually have no longer founded this organization then. We are doing this to assist the aspiration of our preferred candidate to become the president and ensure that Nigerians revel in the dividends of democracy.

CAN seems to have pitched its tent with a Christian candidate, who has visited church buildings with big congregations in the u . S . A .. Won’t you be chastised via your colleagues for going in the contrary path?

I don’t need to touch upon Peter Obi. But we’ve looked at it severely, we need to not leave out this chance for energy to come to the South. Peter Obi is a superb character and a Christian like me, I am no longer in opposition to his candidature. I am simplest being practical politically. I want to inform his fans that he can not win the presidential election for now. He has but to get that political muscle to try this. Buhari had continuously be triumphing elections in the North but till he shook fingers across the Niger, he couldn’t come to be President. Obi isn’t even as famous in the South as Buhari turned into inside the North. I am but to look the handshake of Peter Obi across the period and breath of the country that can provide him sufficient votes to end up the President, besides we’re deceiving ourselves. Who are the governors, outstanding politicians inside the North backing Peter Obi and can deliver him bloc votes?

We Christians like coming out to talk however with regards to election what number of us vote? Where have been contributors of those massive congregations at some stage in previous elections in the country? The heads of those huge churches are not in contact with the grassroots to influence their followers or make Christians to vote all through elections.

In our organization we are not helping political events; we’re helping most effective applicants. Our pastors are from the grassroots. Forget approximately the crowds you notice in those (big) church buildings, they’ll not come out to vote on election day. I am not in opposition to Senior Pastor Paul Enenche, Adeboye and others; we recognize them and we cannot talk sick of them. I am simply only being politically practical. The basis (of our choice) must be top governance and no longer identical religion ticket. Peter Obi, who’s a Christian, can get there the next day and reduce to rubble. Priority ought to be who can give us good governance. Bola Ahmed is the best qualified candidate. He is a great man.

Now that your organization is helping Tinubu in opposition to CAN’s decision. Are you now not frightened of being sanctioned by using CAN?

Let me clarify. As lengthy as you’re a Christian, you are a member of CAN. CAN has 5 blocs and our contributors cut throughout all the blocs. Moreover, CAN can not sanction anyone for making a political choice. No Christian can sanction CAN for taking the selection they took neither can CAN sanction any Christian for taking a opposite selection. These choices are political and now not non secular.

What might be your next line of movement if CAN decides to droop you and other pastors in your organization?

No, CAN cannot do this. They realize that everyone is free to help everyone. It is a essential human proper guaranteed by using the charter.