Don’t pressure Adeboye to speak against Tinubu – RCCG overseer

Pastor Joseph Odesola, the Continental Overseer for Continent 3 (South West, Nigeria and Middle East) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has appealed to the public not to pressure the church's General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, into making public statements critical of President Bola Tinubu's administration. Odesola emphasized that Adeboye's timing for speaking on national political and economic matters is guided by divine instruction.

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Pastor E.A. Adeboye Will Speak Only When God Says Speak.

In an article published by Impact Nigeria and shared on his X page, Odesola stated, "Pastor E.A. Adeboye Will Speak Only When God Says Speak." He noted a growing pressure on religious leaders, particularly Adeboye, to comment on the current administration, observing that some individuals seem to have predetermined scripts for what they expect the cleric to say. These expectations, he added, range from insults and strong condemnations to religious pronouncements against the President.

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Some people are waiting eagerly for Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye to speak about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But it appears that they are not merely waiting for him to speak; they already have a script they want him to follow.

Odesola argued that such expectations are misaligned with the principles of responsible religious leadership. He asserted that Adeboye, who has spent decades cultivating a reputation for speaking from conviction, prayer, and spiritual responsibility, should not be pressured to speak merely due to public demand. "A man of God does not have to speak simply because people are demanding that he speak," Odesola stated, drawing a distinction between speaking to appease a crowd and speaking with meaningful content, and between political commentary and prophetic responsibility.

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But that is not Pastor Adeboye. And, more importantly, that is not how a responsible servant of God should operate.

He maintained that if Adeboye receives a message from God for the nation, he will speak. Conversely, he could choose to pray, counsel, or remain silent, depending on what he deems appropriate, citing Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Odesola also warned against attempts to instrumentalize religious leaders for political validation, asserting that a genuine servant of God should not become the mouthpiece for any political faction. He stressed that the church should be capable of speaking truth to power without becoming a political party or an opposition platform.

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A man of God does not have to speak simply because people are demanding that he speak.