Ballot prophets, merchants of violence?, By Jiti Ogunye

Clerics should be messengers of electoral peace. They must not unwittingly become instigators and invite electoral violence… They must be the voice of encouragement and assurance that mobilizes the people to exercise their rights and change their expectations, before disappointing the electorate.

Forty years ago, during the 1983 presidential election, Professor Godspower Oyewole, who later became a famous psychic, predicted that the name of the winner of the election was in the Bible. Many supporters of the United Party of Nigeria (UPN) and the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) are happy and hopeful. This is Jeremiah. Zik, Benjamin. Both are Christians. One, from Western Nigeria; others from Eastern Nigeria. They, separately, were contesting against the incumbent, Alhaji Usman Aliyu Shehu Shagari, a Muslim, from Northern Nigeria, whose name, many concluded, is not in the Bible, and who, therefore, was not expected to win the election.

In the end, Shagari won. Rigging is suspected. Fela Anikulapo Kuti denounced the election as “a demonstration of madness and a demonstration of madness” in the classic “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense”. Avoiding accusations of political hacking, “Professor Oyewole” did not back down. He doubled down. He declared he had been vindicated. “Shamgar”, he told everyone, “is a name in the Bible, and the name is the same as “Shagari”.

In the nighties and after the dawn of the millennium, Prophet T. Olabayo came to the national scene to regale Nigerians with his “Mount Taborah” new year prophecies.

Before him, there was Dr. Gabriel Okunzua, “seer and parapsychologist”.

However, nothing that the witches, psychics, or prophets of old prepared for or could have prepared any of us for the delightful idiocies of today. Mainly “election prophecy” (or more precisely, heresy) descends from “men of God”. Unfortunately, preponderantly, “priest”.

Aided by the Information Age and, especially, social media, those who claim they believe in God have, in this election cycle, flooded Nigerians with various hard predictions about the outcome of the general election. The spiritualist voting and election result prophets confidently but foolishly reveal to Nigerians how the heavenly theocracy uses the chariot of mercy and grace to see, anoint and catapult the electorate and the elect to the predestined pinnacle of political power, in a temporal democracy!

… these predictions have the potential to predispose large segments of the electorate to reject election results that do not match their predictions. They are not only actions that can lead to a breach of peace, if the prediction fails to match the results of the election, but also actions that mobilize the masses to an outbreak of post-election violence.

Mandhego! Prophecy never hurt anyone. There is a fundamental right to freedom of expression and press. And everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. God’s communication with man cannot be recorded. But God speaks to “the anointed, the called and the prophets”. Of course, that advice will come.

But is the prediction of the election results harmless to the public? Equal. And this is why.

Critically examined, located in the context of the pontificate given, and the forum where he was sent, clearly, the provisions of section 97 of the Electoral Act, 2022, are linked.

More importantly, these predictions have the potential to predispose large segments of the electorate to reject election results that do not match their predictions. They are not only actions that can lead to a breach of peace, if the prediction fails to match the results of the election, but also actions that mobilize the masses to an outbreak of post-election violence.

Although it is recognized that evangelicals and religious organizations generally can approve candidates in elections, they must stop their congregations or followers from expecting and accepting nothing but the inevitability of “God’s choice”. This is a recipe for post-election violence.

In the future, if not now, law enforcement agencies, working in synergy with the offices of the AGF and AG, States (if they are controlled by people who are not clear) can block the growing threat, cause investigation, and file criminal charges. to the alleged offender, as well as appropriate.

…what happened in 2011? A national tragedy in which many lives were lost, including youth corps members participating in elections as ad-hoc election officers, occurred. Who is the perpetrator? For the most part, those who believed that their beloved presidential candidates were robbed in the election.

Our president who was going to leave three times (2003, 2007, and 2011) before becoming president in 2015. According to his own narrative, he won the election three times but because of election fraud in the polls. . It is likely, if not true, that he never won the election, because, although he got big polling numbers in the North, he did well in the South. They have no national acceptance spread. Despite this fact, he believed, and led many of his supporters to believe, that he was serially robbed at the polls.

So what happened in 2011? A national tragedy in which many lives were lost, including youth corps members participating in elections as ad-hoc election officers, occurred. Who is the perpetrator? For the most part, those who believed that their beloved presidential candidates were robbed in the election.

Clerics should be messengers of electoral peace. They are unwittingly inciters and invite election violence.

He should be a voice that encourages and assures the people who strive for the franchise and provides hope, before the disappointment of the election.

Conduct non-violent elections.

Jiti Ogunye, lawyer, and Principal Counsel, Jiti Ogunye Chambers, is the Legal Adviser to Premium Times.