IT IS FRAUDULENT TO ASSUME VICTORY OF MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET IS A LOSS FOR THE CHURCH ~ Bishop Tony Marioghae

One of the few Nigerian clergies abroad whose voices were heard during the 2023 elections is the 52 years old Bishop Tony Marioghae, president of The Evangelical Ark Mission International in The Philippines. His was a patriotic voice of caution and optimism. In this post-election interview with Dr. Bola Adewara, editor Elife, Marioghae responded to these questions:
* Does the victory of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which many Church leaders opposed, a confirmation that the Church has lost?
* Given the failed prophecies, does that make the prophets, pastors, fake?
* What is the limit of Church intervention in politics?
* If Pastors would guide political leaders, what are the ethics involved?

You pastor a Church and reside in the Philippines, but you are so concerned about happenings back home in Nigeria. Some things must be troubling you about the state of this country. Can you share on this?
As a Nigerian in the diaspora, I am concerned about the current state of our nation. God has blessed us with abundant landscape, mineral, and human resources. Yet, the country is still tackling underdevelopment, poverty, insecurity, high unemployment, corruption and division caused by many years of mismanagement and bad leadership. It isn’t good for Nigeria’s image abroad and discourages foreign investments. The nation needs a new paradigm shift, but it requires visionary leadership with the collective moral will of most Nigerians.

As a leadership expert and mentor to a generation of men, what are your observations of the last general elections in Nigeria? Are you happy with what you saw?
The chaos following the last presidential election would have been prevented if we were not so divided. The stakes were high, and various interest groups did many ungodly and unconstitutional things that compromised the integrity of the polls. Unfortunately, some law enforcement agents and INEC officials did little to confront these anomalies. Sometimes, they ignored the heinous crimes and atrocities perpetrated in broad daylight. Social media captured these events, and the corporate image of Nigeria was severely dented. Many voters were deliberately disenfranchised, harassed, beaten and wounded by hoodlums for exercising their legal democratic rights enshrined in our constitution. Both local and international election observers found significant flaws in the elections. I’m not in a position to determine how these problems affected the outcome of the polls. However, I can say that we need urgent electoral reforms for the credibility and sustainability of the Nigerian democracy, which is the largest in Africa. How can we provide essential moral leadership in Africa if we can’t get it right? That notwithstanding, a flawed democracy is better than a military dictatorship or an outright civil war. With determination and integrity, Nigeria can establish a stable democracy reflecting the will of the majority while accommodating the needs of the minority.

A shepherd must be fair to all members of his congregation drawn from all walks of life, different ethnic groups and political ideologists. A shepherd’s impartiality can be questioned if he identifies with one group over the other. This careless action shows bias and creates division among the faithful.

If this nation will move to the next level, how will you speak to Nigerians at a time like now?
National interests drive the policies of nation-states. Therefore, Nigerians should expect other countries to refrain from fighting their battles. Our policies of economic dependency and reliance on developing nations for loans should be discouraged. It has negatively affected our capacity to look inward for solutions to the problems threatening our national existence. We must unite behind a shared vision of a better Nigeria by confronting tribalism, nepotism, religious intolerance, corruption and insecurity. No nation develops by fighting itself. Poverty breeds corruption, crime and criminality. To address this, we must create a mindset of production as opposed to the attitude of mere consumption. Working together to harness our natural resources objectively can combat unemployment and inequality.

You saw how Church leaders intervened during the elections. Those who said God told them there would be no elections, Obi would win, Atiku would win, Tinubu would win, a kaleidoscope of discordant voices as prophecies concerning the elections. What does that say about the Church in Nigeria?
Religion plays a vital role in the spiritual and moral development of nations. This can be achieved without partisan politics and undue interference in government. Religious institutions and governments must work together effectively for any nation’s moral growth without immorally controlling one another. A shepherd must be fair to all members of his congregation drawn from all walks of life, different ethnic groups and political ideologists. A shepherd’s impartiality can be questioned if he identifies with one group over the other. This careless action shows bias and creates division among the faithful. When this happens, it weakens the moral authority of the shepherd. The primary function of a shepherd or prophet is not to determine the outcome of an election but to guide the flock towards righteousness and act as a divine moral light to the nation.

A true man of God is not defined by the ability to prophesy exact things but by godly character, with evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. This does not mean that we should condone indiscipline in the area of prophecy. The misconduct of believers can expose our faith to ridicule. Anyone who calls himself a prophet but is not called into that office can be called a false prophet, predominantly if he operates in the office wilfully.

The misleading prophecies we have seen over the past decade on elections in Nigeria are probably inspired by factors other than God. Before Buhari became president, some ministers prophesied that he would positively win and transform the nation. He won, but he almost ruined the country. The development prophesied about never happened. Instead, the government experienced considerable hardship, insecurity and maladministration under his watch. The ministers who prophesied about the emergence of bad leaders (who eventually won elections) and those who predicted political messiahs who were never elected are guilty of the same mistake. God does not lie. If He desires a thing, it comes to pass. His purpose always overrules artificial or demonic obstacles. His sovereign will cannot be revoked by any earthly power.

During the campaigns and election, your voice was that of caution and optimism that it would be well with the nation. Can you speak to the government on how to take the country to the next level?
Elections have consequences. The clergy should support whoever wins legitimately through prayer and godly counsel for good governance. Our leaders should be commended when they do good things and held accountable when they derail. Religious criticism must always be objective and not dictated by bias or vengeance. For almost three decades, I have prayed daily for the presidents of Nigeria through good conscience for the nation’s common good, and I appeal to all Nigerians to join me. Nigeria is the only nation we have. We must therefore set aside our differences and work towards the collective development of the country we call our home. This does not stop me from holding our leaders accountable for bad policies. God can use any willing president to transform Nigeria. If President Ahmed Tinubu can ignore the pressure and selfish interest of the nation’s tiny cabal who think they own the country and enforce some strict political and economic policies beneficial to all Nigerians, posterity will judge him kindly. It includes courageously fighting corruption, insecurity, religious violence, tribalism and underdevelopment. To succeed, he needs to appoint competent people from all parts of the nation to do the tough job. Merit should be promoted over partisan and ethnic consideration for effectiveness and national productivity. He should also restructure the country through constitutionally accepted means.

If President Ahmed Tinubu can ignore the pressure and selfish interest of the nation’s tiny cabal who think they own the country and enforce some strict political and economic policies beneficial to all Nigerians, posterity will judge him kindly.

The Muslim-Muslim ticket has won the election. The Church rose and prayed about this combination which they saw as dangerous to the Church. Does this mean the Church has lost? Is the Church weak?
It is wrong and fraudulent to assume that the victory of the Muslim-Muslim ticket is a loss for believers and the Church. President Tinubu and his running mate were supported by both Christians and Muslims in different parts of Nigeria, the same way many Muslim scholars and organisations with Christians endorsed Governor Peter Obi and Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, respectively. The power of incumbency of the ruling party and a strong desire for power to return to the south were some of the factors that helped Tinubu. Despite his best effort, over 65% of the voters did not choose him. He must therefore do everything within his power through the right policies to win the support of these Nigerians. The biggest political surprise was Peter Obi, who, against all odds, broke the two-party dominance in Nigerian politics. He won millions of votes, including Lagos and FCT and made the Labor Party the 3rd major political force in the nation with a sizable number of elected public officials. He achieved this feat without a single political structure in place. He also overthrew political heavyweights in different states. It should warn some arrogant politicians who think they are indispensable. Nigerians are restless, and they desire genuine change. It shows democracy is at work in the nation. We are not where we ought to be, but not where we were in the past.

The issue of prophecies comes to mind. Given these failed prophecies and the attendant recriminations following them, what is a prophecy? When a prophecy fails, does that make the speaker a fake?
Prophecy is one way God uses to guide the Church and believers of things to come. In layperson’s terms, it means prediction. Unfortunately, because it has been abused many times, people are sceptical of prophecies and prophets. Believers and Christian leaders must ensure that prophecies pass spiritual tests before being accepted. The Bible says in John 4:1, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. We should also confirm these prophecies by other prophets before we accept them, as reflected in 1 Corinthians 14:29, Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. From the failed electoral prophecies in Nigeria and America, respectively, it is clear that one of these things may have happened: The prophecies did not come from God. The prophecies may have been inspired by demons (1 Kings 22:21-23). The prophecies may have been inspired by human spirits (Ezekiel 13:1-3). The prophecies may have been exaggerated, like in the case of Elijah, who felt he was the only believer in Israel, where there were 7,000 genuine believers who were not corrupted by Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. In the Old Testament, there was zero tolerance for prophetic indiscipline. The consequence of the failed prophecy was instant death, but in the New Testament, there is room for repentance when we experience failed prophecies under grace. It takes godly humility to accept our mistakes and wrongdoings and apologise when we ought to.

No nation develops by fighting itself. Poverty breeds corruption, crime and criminality. To address this, we must create a mindset of production as opposed to the attitude of mere consumption.

Many of these pastors would say God told them this would happen. When it failed to happen, can’t we see them as liars in view of the fact that God would not speak and fails to fulfil. Did God really talk to them?
There are genuine pastors with failed prophecies (for the reasons mentioned above), and there are also occultic preachers who possess the ability to prophesy exact things through demonic means, like the slave girl who had the Spirit of divination in the Book of Acts 16:16-17. A true man of God is not defined by the ability to prophesy exact things but by godly character, with evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. This does not mean that we should condone indiscipline in the area of prophecy. The misconduct of believers can expose our faith to ridicule. Anyone who calls himself a prophet but is not called into that office can be called a false prophet, predominantly if he operates in the office wilfully.

What are the limits of Church intervention in politics? If Pastors would guide political leaders, what are the ethics involved?
Pastors are the spiritual and moral voices of nations. They can use this authority to effectively guide political leaders into the right political path if their motives are right. Ancient prophets and servants of God did not use their office for personal gain. They used their moral influence to compel kings to do the right thing and were never afraid to rebuke wayward leaders. John the Baptist lost his life for speaking against the immorality and wickedness of King Herod. God can use pastors to guide political leaders and transform nations if their motives are pure…devoid of personal greed and preferences.

Both local and international election observers found significant flaws in the elections. I’m not in a position to determine how these problems affected the outcome of the polls.

What is your message to President Tinubu?
With good leadership, integrity and compassion, President Ahmed Tinubu can change the minds of many Nigerians with a negative perception of him. When I first settled in the Philippines almost 20 years ago, nobody thought I would succeed due to the negative perception Asians had of Nigerians. This was partly due to the misbehaviour of some few Nigerians who were into fraudulent activities in the region. People judged me unfairly and didn’t want to work with me. It was painful, but I refused to embrace bitterness. I worked honestly and tirelessly to change this negative perception, and God rewarded my effort. When Asians saw my positive moral conduct and excellent community service, they changed their minds and supported my ministry. It enabled me to establish many churches with thousands of members. The Philippines government recognised my achievements, and I was given outstanding national and local awards. Today, I’m one of Asia’s most respected, honoured and trusted Bishops. With hard work and sincerity, President Tinubu can emerge as the most consequential political leader that the nation has ever produced. He has the power to do it if and when he desires.