God's Role in Democratic Elections

The rate at which religiously overdosed Nigerians drag God into everything, will shock anyone who maintains control of his reasoning. This i think, is as a result of rigorous childhood indoctrinations,  where little kids are coerced and threatened into accepting that they are hapless creatures. Such people grow up to become docile adults who are incapable of thinking for themselves.

For example, months before the United States presidential elections, many Nigerian Christian leaders began to promote the idea that if the incumbent president of the United States of America, President Donald Trump lost the elections, it was the end of the world as we know it. They made it clear that his opponent, a former Senator and Vice President of the US, and his running mates were operating under the direct influence of satan himself. Pastors like Chris Oyakhilomhe who had earlier foretold the end of the world was nigh, and would not exceed 2030 was quoted by lead newspapers as to have said Trump is hated because he loved and was fighting for Christianity. This only reinforced the belief that Trump was pro Christ, whilst his opponents were all anti-Christs.

Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministry equally released several statements, declaring the US elections as a conspiracy to attack Christianity. Videos and predictions - or prophecies as most of them prefer to say- that he had made months or years before suddenly began to trend again. There was one where he proclaimed that God told him Joe Biden wasn't even the problem, but that his running mate, Kamala Harris was the danger to Christianity. However, he began to call for prayers, to rescue Donald Trump's presidency. I'll be honest, that i was confused, and i am still confused by his words were on one hand God told him Trump was going to lose, and on the other hand he was praying for Trump to win. The only reasonable explanation that can be given was that he gambled on both sides. Something like Sports arbitrage trading where you bet on both outcomes, especially on sports like Tennis where there is no outcome of draw, so you bet differently on both sides winning.
Former Nigerian professional footballer, Taribo West had made Videos where he boasted that he knew the results of the elections already, and that Donald Trump was going to emerge victorious.

Paula White, a popular televangelist and exponent of prosperity theology declared God's support for Trump, even to the extent of sending spiritual support, in form of angels from Africa to immediately move on the Trump's bosom. As to why she failed to also send Chinese or Asian angels in general, is another issue in itself, but i think she used African angels because of the religious base Christianity has in Africa. People in Onitsha, a city in Nigeria's southeastern Anambra state had earlier organised a Christian march for Trump. Numerous African Christian leaders were also very vocal about their support for Trump.

When it became apparent that Trump was losing the elections, especially after he released statements stating he was going to court to contest some of the result, many Nigerian Christians suddenly began to console themselves with "God choosed the winner".
I find that to be very disturbing and dishonest. The Democratic Party and it's candidate fought hard for months, lobbying, creating propagandas, created strategies that they used in the elections. Joe Biden struggled to raise campaign funds, and even though he was a septuagenarain, traveled and toured the country only for sore Nigerians to say he won because he was picked, the same person they called the anti Christ. Of what use were the millions of votes cast since God already picked the winner.
Saying God picks election winners is the same thing as saying God made everybody vote for the winners. Would you say God makes people rape, maim or murder others? Hell no, all Christians would say, and yet they believe that God takes a side during sporting and electoral activities. How then does God select and anoint the communist leaders of China. Is it God that selected Kim Jong Un of North Korea, or Vladimir Putin of Russia?

Nigerians should be the last people on this planet who should believe that God selects election winners. With the failed electoral system that we have, where votes are bought. Where political opponents are attacked and murdered. Where in most cases the opposition is non existent. Where hoodlums snatch ballot boxes when results are not favourable to their godfathers and candidates. Rigging is rampart in Nigeria, and to believe that God chooses the winners of election is to suggest that either God supports people who rig elections, or is powerless to stop mere mortals from rigging against his candidate. You'll agree with me that both premises are irrational. Does it mean that all the tyrants who murdered their way into power, especially those who came into power via military coups were choosen by God? Or did God deliberately ignored us to suffer the brunt of murderous looting leaders? I disagree. My reasoning is, God is merely invoked to cater for our emotional bias.

What we ought to do as a people is learn to conduct credible free and fair elections, where the person with most votes is declared winner, instead of trying to deceive your lazy self and others with "God choosed the winner".

Abu Onyiani