Glory to the Almighty and only-wise God as He calmly
continues to unfold His agenda in the affairs of men. Over all, we can thank
the LORD for the relative peace in the gubernatorial elections in Osun State,
even though there were reports
of a few casualties and several hospitalizations. The election of 22nd
September, and the re-run on the 27th brought out some facts,
dispelled certain myths, and hold valuable lessons for the Church.
One of the stark revelations was the utter
desperation demonstrated by the APC government to win the election. Despite several documented manipulations of
the electoral process and actual fiddling
with the results in the initial election, the ruling party still lost.
Thereafter came the bare-faced resort to
technicalities
(currently being challenged) resulting in the election being declared
inconclusive and the call for a re-run during which every attempt at civility
or camouflage was thrown aside as the will of the people was rudely trampled over. It is clear that the duel is far from over, as
the other party is already heading for the courts. A joint statement
by observers from the EU, UK, and the US affirms that many things were indeed
wrong and that they are keenly watching the developments.
The efforts and resources deployed, and the
brazenness displayed made it absolutely clear that what is at stake is not just
who controls the modest resources of Osun state for the next four years, but what happens in Nigeria come February 2019
and possibly into the foreseeable future. Now that the desperate Islamists have
been forced to reveal their hand, hopefully thinking men and women, especially
of the Church, would realize that what is going on is no tea party. Even if
this were the only gain from the Osun gubernatorial elections, it is a
significant one.
Senator Omisore’s surprising capitulation was
another major lesson. The Church barely
stopped short of formally declaring him her anointed candidate, and the Senator’s
last minute campaign line was that Christians should contend for the faith and
refuse to sell their votes. Many Christian
folks proudly heeded the charge, boasting how they refused the tempting cash
being offered to any who would agree – accompanied by a self-placed curse in
the event of any betrayal - to vote for the designated party. Alas, Senator Omisore, without regard for the
interests of the faith he had only recently appealed to, nor even his party at
the national level, declared that he now believes the APC government he had
stridently criticized is now better-placed to provide the good governance he
yearned for his “beloved” people of Osun state.
Now, considering our current situation, what
would the Church have lost had she endorsed one of the new breed candidates with
excellent Christian and professional credentials who had boldly come out to contest
the election? As we wrote before the
election, sensitizing and mobilizing Christians towards well-defined Kingdom
issues would have been the winning step for the Church, irrespective of who eventually
occupies the government house at Osogbo.
This situation remains valid even at the
present time. It matters little how the
coming Court cases would end, as long as the Church can use the opportunity of
the heightened interests and awareness in political issues to define Christian
positions and rally her constituency round these as we seek to build our
nation. The Church should endeavor to build a formidable bloc transcending
ethnic and other divides, which no government can ignore or trifle with. As a first step, the new breed Christian candidates who contested in the recent elections should be rallied together to constitute the nucleus of the political strategy group for the Christian Association of Nigeria in Osun State.
It was at Osogbo that the original Islam-laced
fulanization agenda of Usman dan Fodio was check-mated, in 1840. History could yet repeat itself again. The PDP
is heading for the courts and the whole world is keenly watching. The battle, not just for the control of Osun State
but for the soul of Nigeria, is just beginning.
The Church is not supposed to be a mere passive observer. While we are
at this side of the Rapture awaiting the Trump, our job description is clearly
set out for us: ensuring by all means possible, that God’s will is known and done
on earth as is in Heaven. By giving the
unbelievers a glimpse of God’s kingdom, many blind eyes may yet be opened and many
prisoners set free from satanic yokes and oppression even in these dying
minutes of the endtimes. Would the Church ever grasp this understanding and rise
to the occasion?
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