The chief shepherd of the Harvest Centre Mission, Prophet Wale Ojo-David, says Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the president-elect is divine, urging his opponents to accept it in good faith.

The cleric, who spoke against the backdrop of the legitimacy crisis trailing Tinubu’s victory, stated that God sanctioned Mr Tinubu’s leadership to take Nigeria and Africa out of the woods.

Mr Ojo-David, in 2021, prophesied that Mr Tinubu would be the next president of Nigeria. Mr Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25, 2023, presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). 

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and ex-Governor Peter Obi (Labour Party) are contesting the electoral victory of Mr Tinubu in court, and their supporters have been accused of making several disparaging comments about the president-elect. Mr Obi’s vociferous supporters, the Obidients, have been particularly singled out for their uncomplimentary remarks.

Mr Ojo-David decried the current political tension arising from Mr Tinubu’s victory. According to the church leader, God does not choose leaders based on man’s parameters but on variables that suit his purpose.

“Leaders are chosen by God. It behoves us to harness the grace of God readily available to us as people of God to envelope our leaders in prayer for them not to derail from God’s mandate to them,” Mr Ojo-David explained.

The cleric added, “Our national interest and well-being should be above sectional, religious and personal interest, which seems to be playing out now while disunity, hate and sensational talks tend to crack our social fabrics.”

He frowned upon “misleading public messages” by some clerics, asking them to seek the holy spirit’s direction, especially on matters of public interest, before they make pronouncements not to overheat the polity.

“Selfishness, bitterness and distrust are unholy and not part of godliness that we should crave in our relationship with others,” the cleric stressed.

(NAN)