By RismadarVoice Reporter
December 6, 2025
The Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, has said that many Nigerian politicians visit prominent General Overseers and mega churches primarily to secure congregational votes rather than genuine spiritual support.
Emmanuel made the statement on Saturday while addressing journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State, noting that political figures are more interested in the numerical strength and influence of large church followerships.
“When politicians visit popular General Overseers, they come for political reasons to be able to get their members to vote for them,” he said. “When they say, ‘Dad, pray for me,’ Dad will pray, but prayer cannot change anything because politicians only respect and listen to people who help them to emerge during party primaries.”
He urged Nigerians to be more politically involved at the grassroots, stressing that critical decisions that determine leadership emerge from ward-level activities, not elite circles.
“Good Nigerians are not where the decisions that affect Nigerians are made. If you attend ward meetings, you will cry. People fight over N1,000, and those are the ones who determine delegates. Delegates determine candidates, and candidates determine the country’s future,” he said, urging citizens to take their political futures into their own hands.
The cleric also called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritise national security and ensure the protection of lives and property, noting that the president inherited a deeply troubling security situation.
“Our President has found himself in a very difficult situation. He didn’t start this terrorism. He should work towards ensuring that peace returns to every part of Nigeria,” Emmanuel said.
He further advocated a return to regional government, arguing that decentralisation would solve about 90 per cent of Nigeria’s current challenges.
“Our problem will be 90 per cent solved if we return to regional government. If we don’t, the problem will persist and may worsen,” he warned.
Emmanuel, an engineer and former Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, began his political career under the late Ibadan political leader, Lamidi Adedibu.
