Have God Said Buhari Will Not Be Nigeria’s President?

Posted by African Examiner Articles/Opinion, Latest Headlines Saturday, December 27th, 2014

It may be the thinking of some Christians in Nigeria that God doesn’t want Buhari to be president.

That could be for a reason- his fanatic religious overtone. Many also have the belief that given the chance, he will turn Nigeria into an Islamic state.

Gen. Mohammadu Buhari

Some Muslims as well think that nobody else should bear rule in Nigeria other than those within Islam household of faith.

This kind of religious stalemate robs Nigeria the good chance of improving the quality of its politics, leadership.

So a good candidate who happens to pitch with a “wrong” religion or tribe, risks not being elected into power?

It may be a wrong place to begin by asking: “When is a Christian”? When someone puts down on paper that he or she is of the Christian faith?

What happens if the person has spiritual obligations to yet other unnamed, but equally important “religious groups”, perhaps some sects?

Which one takes the upper hand spiritually- official claim to a religion or the soul-drawing allegiance to oaths of secrecy?

Same goes for a Muslim. Sometimes faith or religion becomes a difficult, perhaps an unverifiable claim.

Jesus even said it “not every one that calls me Lord shall inherit the kingdom”

What we stand to lose as a nation by our religious overtone in politics, is loss of common-sense objectivity.

Had Nigeria been well run, and the citizens’ well taken care of, would we care as much about the tribe or religion of the person in power or aspiring to power?

Nigeria’s elites have cleverly overrun the common man by putting up the flag of tribe and religion, just as a way of diverting the attention of objective questionings for their own narrow advantage.

It’s true that Nigeria’s democracy is at its infancy-but it would be one right foot at the door, if we can awaken our political logic, and get past the retrogressive mind set of tribe and religion. But would that be a far-fetched reason for Nigeria being in the rank of third-world countries?

The 21^st century is well on course. What do we do with the mission-bound team of highly-gifted, educated, resourceful, honest Nigerians scattered around the world? Hammer to the grave their bright prospects and dreams for Nigeria with the deadly sledge of tribe and religion?

This text is not just about Buhari, but about the wider circle of promising Nigerians, whose best hopes and honest aspirations have been trapped within the narrow constriction of religious and tribal considerations.

For one Buhari seem to be a victim of self-blunder. He forgot that Nigeria is a religious province- where people’s political thoughts are profoundly shaped by religious and tribal sentiments, no matter how incoherent. Unfortunately too, his leadership philosophy runs into collision with the elite’ who hopes he won’t upset their untidy agenda.

But can anyone on good clerical authority speak up to say that God is against Buhari?

It would be grave religious pretention to keep hoping that Nigeria will only be well run when a Christian is in power. Providing good social infrastructure and visionary leadership does not require being a Christian. And again “When is a Christian”??? When the oath of office is administered on a bible?

A Muslim, such as Buhari is, would rather not be qualified to lead if Nigeria were a church parish. He is spiritually not qualified -a professing Muslim would never be elected pastor or General overseer of a spiritually-thriving church and vice-versa. But Nigeria is only a nation and not a church, and may not require one with outstanding spiritual credentials such as we are inclined to think.

Even at that, what about some churches where people from certain tribes can never be General overseer, even when they are spiritually qualified? Did God instruct that?

God is ever superior to human stereotypes.

Had He not appointed Cyrus, a ruler of the province that once took Israel captive, and made him restore the glory of what his forbears destroyed (Isaiah 45:1-end)?

God was so very generous to Cyrus (A Persian imperial) by calling him His “anointed”. “Anointing”- represents power and authority, and it’s God’s sole discretion who He anoints.

Had God not made Bathsheba, the woman David married off in murderous-adultery, mother of the king of Israel? Solomon!

Why would a harlot, Rehab be found in the lineage of the Messiah?

Because God was involved.

If God had not spoken in clear terms His distaste for Buhari, and His choice of a Christian (whoever that is) to be Nigeria’s president, it would be waste of spiritual resources to pretend to “pray out” Buhari , or any other Muslim for that matter, and “pray in” a Christian.

The church, God’s earthly representative has power to decide who becomes Nigeria’s president; ”Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. But what “will” is the church praying about?

Why Nigeria has remained the way it has always been, could be because majority of Christians, have little or no personal convictions, as they only try to re-echo seemingly popular views, or those of who they believe hear from God.

Hanging onto the views of pastors and General overseas, without the influence of personal knowledge and faith, would always turn out to be like the experience of the seven sons of sceva- “Paul I know, peter I know, but who are you?

What has God said to you as a person about Nigeria?