A security consultant, Dr. Agodi Kanu, has urged the Federal Government to prohibit all election-related prophecies and predictions as the country gradually prepares for the next general elections.
Kanu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Gombe.
According to him, prohibiting such election-related prophecies and predictions is a way of sustaining peace and security in the country.
The consultant said that such acts were increasingly becoming popular among some clerics who had made it a habit to be predicting election outcomes, under the guise of prophesying.
He said that such predictions had implications on the security and credibility of the country’s electoral process.
Kanu also said that such predictions could create tension and spark security worries which, if not properly managed, could lead to unrest in the country.
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He said that the issue had become worrisome in view of the contrasting predictions about any upcoming elections, which could lead to disagreement among followers of the clerics issuing the predictions.
He said that prohibiting such predictions would help reduce post-election chaos and promote harmony across the country.
“I call on the government to take measures to check such before it causes serious damage to the security and the democracy of the country.
“The federal government should ban these prophecies and predictions.
“If you (clerics) want to be a politician, drop your religious garments and join politics, but not to deceive people and not allow the process to run.
“Government should legislate on that and put an end to it; we cannot continue like this, as it can, over time, create serious security concerns before and after elections,” he said.
Kanu said that it was unfortunate that some clerics had portrayed God as a confusionist through their conflicting prophecies.
“When these prophecies come and the followers listen and begin to toe the line of what their leaders said on the pulpits, there could be conflicting interests and God is not an author of confusion.
“God is not a confusionist by any standard; if God says yes, it is yes. If all the clerics who do political predictions will say Mr A will win and he wins, good.
“But when a cleric says A will win, why will another person say Mr B will win and yet, another will say Mr C will win, all claiming that what they are saying is from God. How many God do we then have?” he queried.
“With this, tensions are built up because their followers will be saying ‘my pastor cannot lie, ‘my Imam cannot lie.
“This may breed bad blood, deception, anger and then create a tense environment for election,” he said.
Kanu described such predictions as partial impediments to the smooth democratic process, as it had the capacity of influencing the minds of the followers of such clerics.
According to him, such predictions do not allow followers of the clerics to choose candidates based on their convictions and party manifestos.
According to him, many clerics have become ‘pulpit politicians’, adding that whereas their job is to preach good tidings to their followers and ensure salvation, righteousness and impactful life for the citizens.
The consultant said that more than 90 percent of the clerics’ prophecies do not come to pass, as many of them had started using such means to scam politicians.
He appealed to clerics to stick to their calling, saying that their conflicting prophecies had become a mockery ‘because there is only one God’.
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