Most Pastors Are Ignorant About Politics – Pastor Femi Emmanuel

Pastor Femi Emmanuel, Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International, has criticised many Christian leaders’ involvement in partisan political debates, citing their limited understanding of politics and arguing that ignorance of governance has weakened the Church’s influence on national development.

Speaking during an interview on TVC News, Emmanuel said that although many pastors are patriotic and genuinely concerned about Nigeria’s future, they often comment on political issues without understanding how government and public policy function.

According to him, many clerics focus on public criticism while remaining detached from the institutions where decisions are made.

“My fellow pastors and general overseers are passionate about this country. They work hard, they believe in Nigeria and they love this country. But when it comes to politics, they are completely ignorant,” he said.

He argued that meaningful national change can only come through active participation in politics rather than commentary from outside government.

“You are not where laws are made, you are not where policies are implemented, but you are shouting from the pulpit. That is like shouting from behind the fence,” he said.

Emmanuel also dismissed the long-running debate over religious balancing in Nigeria’s leadership, insisting that the focus on Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets misses the real issues of governance.

Referring to the 2019 elections, he noted that the vice-presidential candidate of one of the major parties was a respected Christian pastor, yet that did not translate into any significant benefit for the Church.

“In 2019, it was not just a Christian-Muslim ticket, it was a Christian-pastor ticket. But what did that bring to the body of Christ?” he asked.

He further argued that Nigeria’s constitutional arrangement limits the influence of the vice president, describing the office as “a spare tyre.”

“What Christians are arguing for is that we want a vice president. What would that bring to the Church? Nothing. We are Nigerians,” he said.

Drawing from his own political experience as a former Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly between 1992 and 1993, Emmanuel said his time in politics exposed him to the realities of governance and changed his perspective.

He maintained that Christians should not shy away from politics but should instead seek to occupy positions where decisions are made.

“Political power is where you and I should go. That is where the corporate world should go. That is where the youth should invade. That is where the church community should invade. If you don’t change that, you can’t change anything,” he said.

The cleric also criticised the tendency of some pastors to present prayer and fasting as the only solutions to Nigeria’s challenges, saying spiritual exercises must be complemented by active civic and political engagement.

“If I didn’t go into politics, I would probably be talking like them. Going into politics removed a veil from my eyes,” he said.

On politicians who visit churches during election seasons, Emmanuel warned fellow church leaders against interpreting such visits as genuine political support.

According to him, many politicians seek public visibility by appearing before influential pastors rather than demonstrating real commitment to Christian values.

“They come for prayers because they want your members to see them. That does not mean you have the people,” he said.

Emmanuel also dismissed prophetic declarations by some pastors predicting election outcomes, describing many such pronouncements as products of ignorance rather than divine revelation.

“They don’t know. Ignorance. Anybody can claim to hear from God,” he said.