Nigerians express concern over doomsday 2015 election prophecies

Emeka Ibemere

Nigerians are worried by flurry of political pundits and prophecies from expected men of God and political analysts who ordinarily should be praying for peace of the nation.

 But what is coming out of the pastors and Priests, including political pundits leave much to be desired by Nigerians who have expressed concern about the much anticipated follow-up to doom election predictions.

No doubt, the 2015 political train has kicked off and is on motion and by next three weeks is going to end, despite prophecies from the respected men of God whose predictions have placed Nigerians into tensed situation.

Common prophecies and predictions are death, war, bloody, incomplete election, crises and disintegration. None of the prophecies have talked about Peace.

Last Sunday, January 25 following the predictions and prophecies from men of God and political leaders, which even the President was worried, he was alleged to have visited Bishop Oyedepo’s Church and worshipped at the church. While at the service, the President asked Nigerians to pray for the election.

Jonathan said before his speech during the service at Bishop Oyedepo’s church, where he urged Nigerians to pray for the country ahead of the general elections because of the scary predictions and prophecies. He said his call for prayers was necessitated by the various predictions by leaders and clergymen about the elections and their outcome. “There are various predictions concerning the election, but I trust God to take control of the situation,” the President stated.

Adewale Kupoluyi, a columnist and a staff of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, writing on the prophecies of men of God said one thing that is interesting, though troubling was the seemingly conflicting prophecies on the subject matter going by media reports.

“Then we should ask, is it not possible to have the same prediction since the ‘source’ of the message should be same, though the messenger may differ. Then what could have gone wrong. Why. And at what point”. He queried.

 Deacon Chinedu Onyeanuforo, a businessman said the prophets and their prophecies are hitting up the polity and building the already tensed situation about the election. Onyeanuforo wondered why all the prophets saw only danger and doom.

Former Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Celestine Nwosu, also said he was concerned about the predictions and prophecies but added that God is on the throne. He said most of the prophecies wouldn’t come to materialise.

According to him, God has a way of solving Nigerian problems. He said God was going to disappoint some of the people predicting deaths and bloodshed. 

Agaptus Okafor, a company driver in Apapa, said because of the predictions and prophecies, he has relocated his family of five to his village in Imo State till after the election. Okafor said the scary predictions are giving him headache and cautioned Nigerians to stop igniting imaginary fire on the election.

Chukwuemeka Dike, a businessman and also an indigene of Enugu State claimed that he has also taken his young family to East following the noisy predictions concerning the election.

Chidi Duru, a social commentator, writing on his Facebook wall also added that the corruption in the country has made everybody a prophet.

“When a nation is corrupt everybody is a prophet,

When a nation is full of evil men, and, women everybody is a prophet. When the people have sinned and turned against.

GOD, things can prop up from any angle, and, we hail them as prophets. Folks, keep in mind that at this point in time, the best prevailing business around our country now is church business. Same time you need to know it that church is not GOD”.

Anekwe Nduba, Self employed entrepreneur said. “Who are these pastors? Why did government not start taxing these people so that these unwarranted pastors will stop using God’s name for Joke”, he added. And I swear, please I want to know the Pastor Church so that after February, when Jonathan win I will go and flog the pastor 36 lashes. Political pastors.

Despite the outcry of the men of God concerning 2015 election, Pastor E.A. Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God while revealing his 2015 visions at the cross over night warned that God said the world should pray against, “massive calamities, massive earthquakes and strong hurricanes and typhoons.”

As for the February election, he was reported to have said: “Unfortunately, because it is election year, I can’t tell you that entire God told me about Nigeria. But I will tell you this: by the end of the year, many will say ‘all is well that ends well”.

Speaking on his own revelations, an Abuja-based Prophet Joshua Iginla of the Champions Royal Assembly prophesised, stated, “No matter how powerful or well-organized 2015 election is, it will be faulted. I am not a politician nor belong to any political party, I am just speaking God’s mind. The person sitting on the seat might not be perfect, but he will retain the seat. It’s not guess-work. Howbeit, it will be a battle between the lion and the tiger…Shortly after the election, especially on the night of the election, there will be great vandalization. I see cars being burnt, lives killed.”

He veered off from the 2015, election and talked about Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s health and death in the Aso Rock: “President Jonathan will win, but he has to pray about his health and so many political blows. I pray the two people who enter the Aso Villa will leave together. That’s why we should pray for the woman beside the president. The president and wife should pray that the first lady would finish the tenure together and not losing one before the end of their tenure.”

For the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, General Overseer Dr D.K Olukoya, it’s going to be a mysterious year. “I will speak in parables. This year is going to be a mysterious, cautious and dribbling year, so, you will have to find the solutions instead of diagnosing the problems carried by the year.”

INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church founder, Primate Elijah Ayodele Babatunde was reported to have made an interesting prophecy on the general elections: “This year’s election will throw up a lot of issues. President Goodluck Jonathan will do everything to win a second term, however, he needs 14 days prayer to have a peaceful reign to enable him complete a second term. The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega will be confused during the polls”, he added. “There will be several gimmicks to cajole the INEC to rig the election. E-voting will not work. There will be ballot box snatching and stuffing during the election. The President should also commit his health and that of his wife to prayer. Jonathan is in the midst of enemies who are after his life”.

So far, only Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly seems to have given hope about the election year. “Whether you are from the East or from the West or from the North or the South, you will experience joy in 2015. Other nations will say ‘how did they do it.’ It will be indescribable joy. The nations of the earth will testify. I bring good tidings of joy to every part of the nation…”

For Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide; it’s about bad news, after all. According to him, it’s going to be sad news for the nation, adding that the 2015 election would be a replica of June 12.

He urged President Jonathan to be careful as there are plans to assassinate him. He also urged the United Kingdom, UK, to pray for the health of their Queen.

On Jonathan’s health, the acclaimed man of God said. “I see President Goodluck Jonathan coming back but trouble. Patience Jonathan needs serious prayers,” he added. “2015 presidential election will be rigged, marred in violence and end up in court case. 2015 election is another June 12. The man who truly won will not govern, or rule.”

A Catholic priest and founder of the adoration Ministry in Enugu, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka during his New Year prophecy declared that President Jonathan will now lose the election. He claimed that the “President has become a bad luck.”

Primate Theophilus Olabayo, the pastor and founder of the Evangelical Church of Yahweh, Lagos said.

“God told me that they are going to rig the election and this will cause an upheaval and the results of the election will not be declared and if the result is declared, the winners of the election will not govern. But my advice to our politicians is that they should let the President Jonathan go peacefully and retired to his village.”

As that wasn’t enough, an Enugu based prophet, Anthony Nwoko on his part predicted that, “neither Jonathan nor Buhari will be president after the election”.

 Prophet Williams Onuoha, the General Overseer of Galilee Christian Centre, Lagos predicted thus: “the current governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, would become Nigeria’s president.” He added that unless the governor failed to adhere to God’s direction.

The founder of the Christ Royal Family Church, Lagos Bishop Tom Samson on his own warned Nigerians to brace up for some “hardship and darkness in the first half of this year election.”

While Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre, KICC, said, When the president’s name is announced as winner of the election, 20 percent of a certain part of the country will not agree. Eventually, after negotiation they will. We will agree that we are one.”

Not done,  Prophet Michael Olubode, aka Micadeolu of the Celestial Church of Christ, Lagos said, I want to let the people of Nigeria know that the Lord will return His Excellency, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to his presidential seat. Despite much hatred for him, it pleases the Lord God of Celestial to increase his tenure at the Presidential Villa”.

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, lambasted Primate Theophilus Olabayo of the Evangelical Church of Yahweh, Maryland, Lagos, for predicting that the party would lose Lagos State governorship election in 2015.

The party warned Lagosians in particular and Nigerians in general to be wary of attention-seeking prophets and their patronising prophecies of doom, as the 2015 general elections draw nearer.

Reacting to Olabayo’s prediction, the state Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Joe Igbokwe said the clergy was only aiming at regaining public relevance.

He said that Olabayo’s prediction never came to the party as a surprise, following his antecedents of failed predictions in the past. According to Igbokwe, Olabayo was only trying to use APC to bounce back to relevance, having suffered physical, financial and spiritual setback years ago.

“Is it not the same man who predicted years back that George W. Bush would defeat Bill Clinton at the American polls only to publicly apologise that he saw Clinton and not Bush, after Clinton became the president?

“In 1991, the ‘man of God’ predicted the imminent death of a very prominent Nigerian who threatened to sue him for the fake prophecies. The man is still alive till date and still kicking at over 80 years of age. Are these not enough to make the self-acclaimed Nostradamus to cover his face in shame?” Igbokwe queried.

The APC publicist advised Olabayo to heed the word of the Bible which says “Healer, heal thyself,” adding that just as his past predictions had gone into the garbage bin, so would this one which the party rejected in God’s mighty name.

Igbokwe likened the prediction of the Kogi State-born primate to that of the late Professor Godspower Oyewole who desecrated the Holy Bible where he claimed that he saw the name of a former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, adding that Olabayo had gone back to his old ways of seeking relevance through controversial predictions which usually caused confusion.