The Nigeria human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has criticized Primate Elijah Ayodele over what he described as increasingly indistinguishable political prophecies that create confusion within the country.
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a social crusader and national commentator, took on Ayodele in a statement he released on Saturday.
According to him, there is perhaps no greater tragedy in contemporary Christendom than the gradual transformation of some sacred altars into political observatories, where divine revelation appears increasingly indistinguishable from political speculation.
He argued that prophecy, once reserved for the salvation of souls, now competes vigorously with election forecasts, power permutations, and partisan calculations.
Ejiofor said: “Ordinarily, men clothed in cassocks are expected to be fishers of men, custodians of faith, guardians of morality, and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.
“Their divine mandate is neither ambiguous nor negotiable. They are called to reconcile humanity to God, not to become perpetual commentators on the ever-changing fortunes of politicians and political parties.
“One is tempted to wonder whether Heaven now convenes daily political strategy meetings from which he alone receives exclusive briefings.
“The frequency of these pronouncements has become so relentless that many political observers now await Ayodele’s forecasts with the same anticipation usually reserved for election results, opinion polls, or intelligence briefings.
“At times, one struggles to determine whether one is listening to a clergyman delivering divine messages or a political analyst offering electoral projections under ecclesiastical cover.
“The concern here is neither personal nor denominational. Every citizen enjoys the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression. The issue, however, is whether the incessant intrusion of prophetic declarations into partisan political matters advances the cause of Christianity or merely fuels uncertainty within an already fragile democratic order.
“Democracy thrives on institutions, reasoned debate, electoral participation, and the sovereign will of the people. It becomes vulnerable when public discourse is persistently inundated with prophetic declarations predicting victories, defeats, conspiracies, impeachments, disasters, collapses, betrayals, and political cataclysms.
“Such pronouncements often generate avoidable tension, deepen political anxieties, and sometimes create an atmosphere in which democratic choices appear subordinate to prophetic predictions.
“One must ask: At what point does prophecy cease to be spiritual guidance and begin to resemble political fortune-telling?” he queried.
Ejiofor further wondered that if the same intensity with which they monitor political events were devoted exclusively to evangelism, discipleship, moral reformation, and soul-winning, the nation might witness an even greater spiritual revival.
He added that while ministers are undoubtedly entitled to express opinions on matters affecting society, there is a vast difference between offering occasional moral guidance on governance and maintaining a continuous stream of political forecasts that effectively positions the preacher as a permanent participant in the political arena.
David-Chyddy Eleke
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