BY Taiwo George
Enoch Adejare Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), is unarguably one of the most influential religious figures whether here in Nigeria or in the rest of the world.
Since the fourth republic kicked off in 1999, there is no president who has not visited the RCCG campground at Lagos Ibadan expressway to seek the endorsement of the lecturer-turned pastor.
Olusegun Obasanjo was a regular caller at the church during his time in office; and in 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a devout Muslim, sought spiritual support from Adeboye.
Shortly before the presidential election of 2011, Goodluck Jonathan went to ‘Daddy GO’, as he is fondly referred to by thousands of his church members, also for prayers.
The soft-spoken pastor never hesitates to offer blessings to even his critics.
In all those years, blessing or endorsing a candidate was not much of a dilemma. But this year is different due to the emergence of Yemi Osinbajo, one of his senior pastors, as running mate to Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A few days after Osinbajo was picked as Buhari’s running mate, the rumour mill was agog with claims that the church had endorsed the lawyer-cum-pastor. But RCCG wasted no time in debunking that report, saying that the church does not play politics and will not endorse any candidate.
Adeboye typically maintained silence, making it somewhat difficult for people to know where exactly his interest was.
However, on January 4, pictures of Adeboye with APC leaders, including Buhari and Osinbajo, during the annual thanksgiving service of the Lagos state government went viral, making some to conclude that this time around, the pastor was working for “one of his sons”.
Osinbajo reinforced that belief when during a live television programme on that same day, he revealed that Adeboye consented to his decision to be Buhari’s running mate.
“I certainly will not do anything without seeking the consent of Pastor E. A. Adeboye. I discussed with him in full,” he told Channels Television.
But exactly a week after, Adeboye, David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church and President Goodluck Jonathan, held a closed-door meeting with Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan’s benefactor, in Abeokuta.
Though details of that meeting remained unknown, it was learnt that the president enlisted the support of the clerics to help him pacify Obasanjo, who is clearly opposed to his re-election bid.
Both Jonathan and Osinbajo met at the Holy Ghost Service of the church on Friday and a few hours after the service ended, the profile photo of Adeboye’s official Facebook page was updated to that of Jonathan kneeling before him for prayer, while the cover photo was changed to his prayer session with top members of APC, led by Osinbajo.
Does this in anyway suggest that both of them have his blessings? Yet the revered pastor has only one heart that can only go to one person. When the chips are down, who exactly would he cede his heart to?
This website uses cookies.
