The senior pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade, has come under fire from supporters of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), over his social media post.
Oyemade is the host of The Platform, which attracts resource persons to discuss matters affecting the nation. Obi was a frequent feature on The Platform.
The post tagged: “The wisdom of Solomon” made reference to the judgment of Solomon in the Bible, in which King Solomon ruled between two women claiming to be the mother of a child.
Although the cleric did not mention any name or make reference to any political issue, the tweet was seen as questionable especially with the post-election outcome, sparking a backlash and fierce criticism.
Oyemade wrote: “Solomon in his wisdom wanted to find out who the mother of the child truly was. He had a dilemma for the two women who claimed the child was theirs. Back then there was no DNA test so this could only be solved through unusual wisdom.
“Solomon said to bring out a knife and attempt to kill the baby. Whoever truly owned the baby will rather have the baby live even if not with her than to see the child die.
“There and then the owner of the baby was revealed for a true mother will rather see her baby live with another than witness the baby crying in deep pain as she bleeds to death under the slice of a sharp knife. Selah.”
His post attracted a flurry of reactions. Many alleged that the cleric ‘blocked’ them because of their opposing views.
Reacting @CharmXtova: said: “Since the sham elections, everyone on the opposing side has pushed Obidients. They stole our mandate and asked us to go to court. We did. They said we shouldn’t come out to protest and allow the courts do their job (but they came out to protest). We allowed the courts do their job.
“They told us not to protest on inauguration day so as to not scuttle the peace of the Nation. We heeded. The case at the court have begun to seem like it’ll end in our favor, they have already started protesting and threatening the peace of the Nation.”
Dr. Kelvin Alaneme posited: “You cannot gaslight your way to the truth. As a pastor, you are meant to be an apostle of truth. But alas! It is a shame to see your unraveling. Retrace your steps before it is too late. You know the truth. Only that truth will set you free. Selah.”
Another commentator, Dr. Kelechi Ugonna (PhD) argued: “Thank you @pastorpoju. And the disciples asked him, what is the meaning of this parable. And he said unto them. The baby is the seat of power in Nigeria. The mothers are the presidential contestants in the past election, and Solomon is the judiciary.
“The mother who stole the baby is that candidate who was illegally declared the winner with fraudulent documents. He did not care if he’s putting a knife through the heart of democracy in Nigeria, he wanted the prize at all cost. The other mother is the one who chose the path of peace through the courts to reclaim his stolen mandate, and asked his people to follow the process.”
For @klez_evans1, he said: “When talking about the wisdom of Solomon, Let’s also talk about the process and condition a baby was put through before the real mother was found.”
Also, @Mayokun said: “Multilevel dimension of wisdom in today’s context on all fronts.
That’s how to discern who is envisioning the larger picture, despite a personal sense of being exploited, aggrieved or taken advantage of. If you own it, you first priority will be its survival.” (The Nation)
