The Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International, Femi Emmanuel, says many politicians seek meetings with popular General Overseers not for spiritual purposes but to secure the support of their large congregations.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Emmanuel said politicians often value the electoral influence of religious leaders over their spiritual guidance.
āWhen politicians visit popular General Overseers, they come mainly for political reasons, to get their members to vote for them,ā he said. āI tell my congregation all the time: itās your votes theyāre after. And when they say, āDad, pray for me,ā Dad will pray, but Dad canāt change anything. Politicians only listen to those who help them win their primaries.ā
The cleric urged Nigerians to understand the political system better, stressing that critical decisions are made at the grassroots by people who often lack the capacity for such responsibilities.
āI want Nigerians to listen. Good Nigerians donāt attend ward meetings, we are too sophisticated. But if you attend ward meetings, you will cry. People fight over ā¦1,000 sent to them, yet these are the people who choose delegates. Delegates determine candidates, and candidates determine leaders. If you donāt have delegates, you canāt have candidates,ā he said.
Emmanuel also called on the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to be more focused and prioritise national security.
āYou are bold and courageous, but you have found yourself in a very difficult situation,ā he said, addressing the president. āHe didnāt start this terrorism, but he must ensure that peace returns to every part of Nigeria.ā
He argued that returning Nigeria to a regional system of government would resolve most of the countryās challenges.
āOur problem will be 90 per cent solved if we return to regional government. If we donāt, the problem will persist and may worsen,ā he warned.
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