Ours Is A Forgiving God

Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari of the APC

I have always advocated that politics in Nigeria, as in most advanced democratic countries should be about families. It should be about issues that concern the welfare of Nigerian families through the political hierarchies – from the fourth estate of the realm and the local councils to state and federal levels. I have also commented in one of my recent articles titled: “Nigeria’s democracy is on course” that the emergence of PDP and APC as the two dominant parties at the federal level is a healthy social development. It means that the evolution of democracy in Nigeria is on the right track. I compared it with what obtains in Britain and America, the two countries that mostly influence Nigerian government policies and where two dominant mega parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party and the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have continued to alternate governance over several decades.

It is given this background that I would like to address the impression given to Nigerians recently by Festus Keyamo, the spokesman for the General Buhari’s Re-election Organisation and which was widely reported by the Nigerian press.

Keyamo was quoted as asking Nigerians not to participate with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in embracing the curse he invoked on himself when he said God would not forgive him if he ever joined forces with Atiku who was Vice President under him or if he ever supported Atiku’s desire to rule Nigeria as President. But when circumstances changed, Obasanjo made a U turn and not only joined forces with Atiku and endorsing him for the plump job, but also predicted that Atiku would be the next President of Nigeria, come 2019.

Keyamo was quoted as saying: “Interestingly, just a few weeks ago, specifically on the 4th of August, 2018, Chief Obasanjo was widely reported to have said ‘God will never forgive me if I support Atiku for President.’

“Whilst we acknowledge the constitutional right of the ex-president to support anyone of his choice, we draw the attention of all God-fearing Nigerians to a character that would use the name of God in vain and in a flip-flop manner in just a matter of weeks. Where is the shame? Where is the honour? Where is the pride? When a person invokes the curse of God upon himself if he does a particular thing, like Obasanjo has done, and then deliberately does that particularly thing and calls on Nigerians to follow him to receive his curse, Nigerians must flee in the opposite direction. We urge Nigerians not to follow this character to receive the curse he invoked upon himself.”

Keyamo said he wondered why Atiku chose to beg Obasanjo rather than present evidence that he was not guilty of the allegations levelled against him.

“We are bemused and amused that a character that intends to be President of Nigeria has, for the past eleven years, consistently begged for “forgiveness” from a man who has consistently and unequivocally called him a very corrupt fellow. We wonder what type of character would not vigorously confront his accuser with facts to show his innocence, but would rather consistently ask for “forgiveness” from him. The desperation to get the endorsement of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo by the PDP and its candidate is a clear sign that they want to return us to our sordid past where a few people decide who should govern us. In 2014/2015, President Muhammadu Buhari and his team, out of respect and convention, paid courtesy calls on prominent individuals and statesmen in the course of their campaigns when they visited cities in which these individuals lived. However, Nigerians should note that President Buhari was never reported to have grovelled and “begged” anyone for forgiveness, just to be endorsed as a Presidential candidate. Ultimately, he relied on the people of Nigeria to decide his fate. President Buhari would continue to rely on the endorsement of the people of Nigeria to be re-elected.”

Not yet done, Keyamo also attacked David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Tabernacle, Mathew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese and Ahmad Gumi, Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, for accompanying Abubakar to Obasanjo’s residence in Abeokuta.“We also note with interest the full participation of some “men of God” in the entourage of the Peoples’ Democratic Party for this political re-alignment. We are glad that they have publicly declared their partisan interest and urge all Nigerians to see all their previous, present and future attacks on President Buhari from their pulpits in the context of partisan politics and not in the context of nationalistic or altruistic commitment. We wish them well.”

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus explained why former President Olusegun Obasanjo endorsed Atiku Abubakar despite their differences. According to Obasanjo, Atiku had re-positioned himself and was now good enough to enjoy his support in the next election. Secondus was present at the meeting with Obasanjo at his Abeokuta residence and also asked Nigerians to reject Buhari in 2019. Speaking after the meeting, he explained that Obasanjo accepted Atiku because of the limited ability of President Buhari and the APC administration to perform creditably on its electoral promises.

He said, “There’s no better person that can score President Buhari than former President Obasanjo. There is also no better person that can compare Atiku and Buhari than Obasanjo. Obasanjo was Buhari’s boss. The former President was also the boss of Atiku. He asked Nigerians to vote Buhari in 2015. Now he has seen the limited ability of the President and he is now asking Nigerians to follow Atiku Abubakar in 2019. This is because he sat down, analysed them and saw that Atiku and his party are better by far than the Buhari Presidency and his party. With this, a blind man need not be told that it is raining. The facts and reality are everywhere.”

Yes. Atiku was said to have offended his boss, then President Obasanjo. Yes. Obasanjo had told the world that he would never join forces with or work for Atiku to succeed him as President. Yes. Obasanjo may have said God would not forgive him if he supported Atiku. But our God is a forgiving God. And so, if Atiku realised his mistakes, asked for forgiveness and was forgiven and taken in again by his former boss, it is a manifestation of the truth that God had also forgiven Obasanjo because he had forgiven the man who offended him.

In religion, there are requirements that must be adhered to for results to occur. One such case is demonstrated in the Gospel according to Matthew 18: 21about the unmerciful servant.

Peter had come to Jesus and asked: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Could it be up to seven times?”

Jesus answered: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven times.

Jesus went on to explain that the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant!’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Obviously, therefore, the law does not hold Obasanjo as one who has cursed himself and so, Nigerians should neglect that call of Keyamo which was made more out of a desire to be seen as one who is keen to please his pay master, President Buhari. Obasanjo could not have cursed himself because ours is a forgiving God.