PFN election: How Northern Pentecostals lost representation on National Exco.

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

A lot of Southern Christians are uninformed about the demography of Northern Nigeria, with many believing that everyone from the North are Muslims. The naivety of political elites in their thoughts about Christians in the north is further confirmed by the turn of events at the PFN election.

In his preference for a Muslim/Muslim ticket ahead of 2023 election, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dismissed the entire Christians population as not having just one person who could pair him to deliver good governance. This position is the reason Babachir David Lawal a Christian and former Secretary to the Federal Government is at war with Tinubu’s reelection, though a strange bed fellow of Nasir El-Rufai who is the architect of the Muslim/Muslim ticket, he is up arm in with him against PBAT for simple reason of personal interest. Lawal is not the only one at the table dinning with the devil on agenda 2027.

The collegiate groups of fulanization with the expansionist agenda in all forms are seated at that table and are joined by other individuals who lost out of the game of interest called politics in 2023.

Lawal’s focus is not defined but is obsessions for the position of Vice President and his failure to secure the slot with PBAT in 2023 is the only reason for being an enemy. The adjective with which PBAT qualified all Christians from northern Nigeria applied more to him than any other person.

If Christians in Nigeria have a score to settle, it is for our brethren in Bornu, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano etc, where there are several hundred of thousands of indigenous Christians in those states facing untold persecution which has been their lot for many decades. Things got worse since APC took the reign with Muhammad Buhari. The buffer zone of Christian persecution is the middlebelt. Little wonder the huge number of faith influenced votes that came out of Plateau State.

The body Language of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria during the last election speaks volumes. It was generally believed by the CAN elements that the loss of the President to Obi in Lagos was due to the position taken by the PFN. Indeed the PFN were all out to protest with their votes against the Muslim/Muslim ticket of Tinubu/Shettima. Bishop STV Adegbites intervention to douse the tsunami facilitated the President’s visit to Christian Association of Nigeria in Ibadan where he met the predictable naive leader of CAN at the CAN Secretariat, Oyo State, Presided over by the immediate past President of CAN, Dr Samson Ayokunle. The then candidate’s train left Ibadan without a communication to the larger body of CAN on purpose of visit and negotiations entered into by them on our behalf with the President.

Once CAN was dusted, the train appeared in Abuja and was received by the Archbishop John Praise, as the Deputy President of PFN which created a political soft landing for candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the perception of the generality of the Pentecostals against his Muslim/Muslim ticket.

Politics is about dialogue, debate, position canvasing and negotiation. Was there any negotiation in Ibadan and Abuja, or was the sitting simply cash and carry? These are questions our leaders must answer!

One would have expected that with respect to the Northern Christians, an assurance that the President didn’t look down on them would have been the appointment of One of them to the leading Christian official appointment in Government as the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission. That was not done as the South West spirit of “awalokan” played out at NCPC and Adegbite carted home the Laurel.

Though, it is an open fact that STV Adegbite is not at home with Bishop Wale Oke led PFN, this is better seen through multiple times PFN chairmanship election for Lagos was conducted, a case of; “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he comes whose right it is; and I will give it him. Ezekiel 21:27.

The power, not of God but of the office of the President of the PFN came fully to bear, overturning the election until he could find Yemi Davies a man he is comfortably at home with. The alliance of Archbishop John Praise with Adegbite to unsettle the national leadership of PFN though ill informed, was negatively rewarded at the election.

On February 10 2025, the tenure of the PFN national Exco ended and new officers were elected to run for another four years during the fellowship’s biannual conference in Abuja.

The incumbent president of fellowship Bishop Wale Oke was re-elected to continue for another four years but his deputy, Archbishop John Praise Daniel who is the only elected Northern Christian did not make it back to the executive.

According to a top source in the PFN, Archbishop Praise Daniel played a strange game that backfired.

The source said he contested against the incumbent Bishop of the fellowship for the position of the president: a move someone described as disloyalty and sees as an attempt to embarrass Bishop Oke. In my opinion, the timidity of our understanding of politics, if you like.

The person went further; ideally, he had no business contesting against Bishop Oke because over the years the presidents of the PFN always had the grace of another term if they wished”. As if it were cast in stone by the law of PFN that every President must serve two terms. Politics anywhere is a game of numbers for which it is not a sin to test your popularity within an association; spiritual or secular, the rule of democracy should apply.

Would the elected PFN Exco have the moral ground to lead the body to vote out President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if the need arises? If the church is the light of the nation, what applies to her should apply to the nation. If Bishop Wale Oke deserves a second time without a recourse to his performance. Should that determine the fate of PBAT among the Pentecostals?

Archbishop Praise Daniel exercising his right decided to test his popularity. That is why he contested. Unfortunately for him, he lost. Bishop Oke had 15 votes while he had 12.’

The National Advisory Council consisting of past presidents of the fellowship and some fathers of faith were the ones who voted in the election.

The source said when Praise Daniel lost in his bid to become the president of the fellowship he decided to contest again for the Deputy National President, the position he held before
contesting against Bishop Oke. ‘He also lost. Incidentally with the same margin to which he lost against Bishop Oke.

Another pastor, the former General Secretary of the Fellowship, Cosmos Ilechukwu defeated him in the election. At the end, he lost out completely. He is no longer in the executive of the national body of the PFN’ said the source.

The case of Archbishop Praise Daniel who led some bishops and pastors to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria is like that of the man who didn’t look before leaping.

Archbishop John Praise Daniel, an indigene of Kaduna is the presiding Bishop of the Dominion Chapel International Church, with branches in the UK and most parts of Nigeria; with its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the president of the Dominion Bible Faith Institute (DOBFI), the training arm of the ministry.

As it is, his exit from the Exco leaves Northern Pentecostal Christians with no presence in the national executive of the PFN. To imagine that the likes of Pentecostal Churches such as Dunamis led by Pastor Paul Enenche has no voice on the Exco of PFN is in itself lack of understanding of a body formed for political purposes of defending the Pentecostals in Nigeria.

Some persons in the North are not comfortable with this development according to a leading PFN official.

The present central working committee of the PFN also known as the National Executives are Bishop Wale Oke – NATIONAL PRESIDENT (reelected),
Rev. Cosmas Ilechukwu – DEPUTY NATIONAL PRESIDENT (former National Secretary), Bishop David Bakare – NATIONAL SECRETARY(former National deputy secretary) and Rev. Sam Aboyeji NATIONAL TREASURER (reelected).
Other offices of the fellowship are expected to be filled before the end of the conference

Locked in North Central, South East and South West are faith influenced votes that can double the over 8 million votes of Mr President scored in the last election. Should the exclusion of the north in PFN Exco be viewed as tribal politics, what will that portend for the political influence of the body in the coming election? Truth is, if tribal and religious politics are allowed to thrive in 2027, the loser will be Mr President. 90% of the votes Obi got in Northern Nigeria were influenced by religion. Time to be fair to Northern Christian is Now! Tinubu led Administration should look for a way to compensate Archbishop John Praise Daniel; if only to reward his defiance against the Pentecostal tide in the last Presidential election.

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, is absolutely a commendable brand in Apostolic and Nation Building efforts towards a changed nation and a renewed and revived church, within the Nigeria Church and political ecosystem.

The Bold, Inspiring and Dynamic Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is a man worthy of all encouragement to see him do more for the salvation of humanity and liberation of Africa and the black race.

The pen of this exceptional Scribe should not lack ink.

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