- L-R: Bishop David Oyedepo and Mr Peter Obi
By Bolanle Bolawole, turnpot@gmail.com; 0705 263 1058
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A telephone conversation could not have been as embarrassing, scandalous and controversial as the one that was reportedly said to have taken place between Bishop David Oyedepo of the Winners’ Chapel and Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the recently-concluded presidential election. The Church as a whole has been diminished and brought to ridicule and opprobrium once again! And it reminded me of a similar incident some 10 or so years ago when the aircraft of a leading Pentecostal pastor was fingered in a botched plan to buy arms from South Africa during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Remember? I saw an embarrassing situation loading and I warned that vocal PFN leader to reduce his frequent visits to the Presidential Villa but he would not take heed until he was caught in that quagmire – and he took the Church down with him. Rather than take heed when I advised him months before the unfortunate incident, he reported me to Mummy and Daddy and both of them called me in. I explained to them the danger to the man himself and the Church as a whole if the PFN leader did not limit his frequent visits to the Presidential Villa. Where is the man today? That scandal silenced him and tarnished the image of the Church.
Many Church leaders did not appear to have learnt anything from that very sad episode. In all their undertakings, the image of the Church as a whole ought to loom larger than personal interests. Many threw caution to the wind as far as the last election was concerned. All their prophecies, what became of them? One said one of his arms should be cut off if his prophecy did not come to pass. His prophecy flew over the bar like a misfired penalty kick! Has he surrendered his arm to be cut off? After the election, another one was decreeing and declaring an annulment of the Tinubu presidency! Nigeria is an “anything goes” country! The gullibility of the people apart, the lethargy and carefree attitude of the government is another. Such so-called pastors ought to be cooling their heels in prison! Faith-based organisations should be compelled to behave responsibly. The people they have enslaved must be liberated. Religion is now much more than the opium that the Marxists said it was; these days, many so-called faith organizations are nothing short of concentration camps of slaves. This is modern-day slavery that should be dismantled.
But I digress! The questions that interest me in the Oyedepo/Obi telephone conversion saga are these: Did the conversion take place? Yes, it appears so; for none of the two has said it didn’t. The voices that we heard in the conversion, were they of the two personalities mentioned? Yes, it appears so, since none of the two has disowned the voices. What was said to have been said; was that exactly what was said? That is where I think the problem lies. Obi and his people are saying that the tape of the conversation making the rounds was faked; fine, it could be, there is hardly anything that cannot be faked these days. Even the new Naira notes are said to have been faked. But the solution does not lie in beating about the bush: If what is in circulation is faked, release the original! Fortunately, Oyedepo and Obi are Christians: In Egypt when Moses performed his own original miracle and Pharaoh’s magicians also performed their own fake miracle, the original miracle of Moses swallowed the fake miracle of Pharaoh. So, release the original tape of the telephone conversation and lay the controversy to rest. The answer does not lie in finding out or running after who released the so-called faked tape. Until the original tape is released, you cannot call what is in the public domain faked and expect to be taken seriously. The solution does not also lie in rushing to court. Nigerians know that rushing to court is a smart way of sweeping matters under the carpet.
The mere fact that two top Obi aides issued contradicting statements on the same issue clearly shows that the Obi camp is in disarray on this matter. It is like the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, going to the United States to offer a different reason from the one INEC had offered for its inability to upload results of the last elections real time as earlier promised! People who try, like grasshoppers, to hide behind one finger, na dem sabi!
LAST WORD: Richard Akinnola and Abimbola Adelakun should take it easy with Bayo Onanuga; Bayo has done nothing deserving of the scathing rebuke and scotching upbraiding he has suffered lately in the hands of the duo./SHARE THIS
* Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of THE WESTERNER newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in New Telegraph newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.
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