Putting God's Name On Politics

Politics - an activity associated with governance - is a global experience. In fact, politics is as old as man. Politics or governance has always been a front burner issue from time immemorial. Several models - gerontocracy, plutocracy, oligarchy, communalism, democracy among others - have been practised, copied, exported and imported over the years. For some nations, visible transformations have been noticed, while the others tend to have no significant development or could not demonstrate any monumental evidence of good governance. Strangely, but truthfully, a few countries with this undeniable success through good governance , have been mostly those we describe as "society without God" or the least religious.

In Africa, especially , Nigeria, where religion immeasurably thrives. Today, we have goddized politics, and other vital activities of greatness. In recent times, "the God of heaven" will have to instruct divinely on the best candidacy , a message that is usually, prophetically, and even magestically related to us by our " men of God" . Quickly, they whistle to our hearing whom His Majesty has favoured to carefully pilot and transform the society. On many counts, the man they claim their God has specially chosen to lift us out of the doldrums of life, hardship, pitiable state, liveless economy, gruesome abduction , and unprecedented insecurity have failed us incurably. To say the least, they have made messier the already stinking atmosphere.

It is high time we adopted one of the principles of the " society without God" in order to actualize the dividends of democracy that have eluded for us more than two decades. By putting God's name on politics, we excuse ourselves of the rigorous scrutinization of candidates. Putting God's name on politics, is nothing but politics, itself. We play the politics of the minds. If one hundred voters cast their votes, for instance, two - thirds of them would have voted according to the sacred pronouncement of the oracles of God. The business of electioneering is greater, and should be viewed as a sensitive matter beyond the prophetic claims of some religious saints or oracles. We can, and should not continue to be teleguided by a pocket of men whose God's choice of candidacy has miserably failed us. For the first time, let "God" stay out of our politics

Surprisingly and suspiciously, the God's preferred candidates, many a time, are those with glaring records of corruption, hegemonic practice, or a robust history of nation's looting. It is high time to ask their God to leave us to sound decision, and not mere claims. Let God stay out of politics, not even in the modern Israel is politics reduced to a mere vibration of some pastors or other clergy men. We may pray for them, encourage them, but let the decision of whom to emerge be completely based on sound reasoning, manifestos, morality, and knowledge currency of the candidates.

As 2023 approaches, may their God stay out of politics, and allow the electorate to truly make their choice, instead of the choice received for us from some "God" .

Samuel Ogunnaike, Lagos.