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Pastor CHRIS OKAFOR Tells City People
It is no longer news that the recently held general elections divided the country sharply along religious and ethnic lines. Apart from the northern part of the country that shared their votes amongst the three major presidential candidates, the other regions voted exclusively for their kinsmen. And it reflected in the results from the different regions. And now, several weeks after a winner had emerged and the president and his vice already sworn in, the tribal divide is still as sharp as ever. Same with the bitterness.
Presently, the cold war and hostility between supporters of the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, are yet to fizzle out. On social media, they are yet to sheath their swords. Each group is bent on proving to the other that their candidate is the best man for the job, even when the new president has been sworn in. This is why it came as a shock to many when, last week, popular cleric and one of Naija’s most dynamic men of God and an Igbo man, Pastor Chris
Okafor, came out publicly to commend Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his resilience during the last presidential election.
Pastor (Dr.) Chris Okafor is the very private, very reserved man of God who runs one of the fastest growing ministries in the land, Grace Nation International aka Liberation City. He is a fire brand man of God who believes in nothing but the efficacy of prayers. His ministry has continued to confound many who just cannot seem to understand how the church has gone on to grow in leaps and bounds in the last few years, making it one of the biggest in the country. It is almost completing a new massive auditorium that conveniently sits over 30,000 members of the church.
Pastor (Dr.) Chris Okafor is regarded as one of the most revered men of God in the country. This is not just because he is considered one of the powerful men of God in the land but also because he is a lane minder. He is not a noise maker. He keeps to himself and maintains a very simple lifestyle. He does not dabble into issues that do not have any immediate bearing to his personality or ministry. Many were surprised when, few days ago, he was asked by a journalist to comment on the new Tinubu led administration. And in between the question and answer session, he said in parts:
“Let me tell you something, I am not a fan of the president. As a pastor and man of God, there is a limit to which I can dabble into politics. I had my reservations about him contesting for the presidency and now that he is the president, I still have my reservations. I would’ve preferred that he did not contest at all.”
“But having said that, I must admit I have also come to respect the man in a way. I don’t know too many men his age who can withstand what he endured before, during and after election. He was insulted. He was abused. He was called all sorts of names. But he just kept his eyes on his target. He continued to work hard, campaigned in every part of the country, despite his age. And inspite of all the abuses hurled at him, he didn’t insult anyone back in retaliation. He didn’t let it get to him. He stayed calm and in the end, the rest is history. I don’t believe in him that much, but you have to give it to him, he’s a strong man.”
When asked if he thinks Tinubu’s government will do well, the very intelligent, good looking but extremely quiet man of God responded:
“It’s too early to say. Like I said, I am a Pastor and I try very hard not to get involved in some things I consider not extremely significant to the church in the eyes of God. Our God works in mysterious ways. He can use the man to turn the country around for good, even if a large number of Nigerians don’t like him.”
“If you recall, months before the election, I released a prophecy saying that the man most people want to win the election will not win it, it is the most despised man that will win it. Go and check online, you will find my prophecy there. That’s why I said our God is a mysterious God, he has his own way of doing things.”
-Wale Lawal
(08037209290)
