Femi Emmanuel: A Politician In Cassock?

The cassock does not make a monk, so says the aphorism. This aptly captures what is going on right now in the Department of Politics and Governance, DPG, a group floated by the Christian Association of Nigeria and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to reawaken the Christians from political lethargic. Femi Emmanuel, the national leader of the group has come under close scrutiny of recent. Just like Pastor Bolaji Akinyemi recently petitioned the national headquarters of CAN to remove the chairman of Lagos state chapter, Pastor Stephen Adegbite for hobnobbing with the All Progressives Congress, Femi Emmanuel of Livingspring Chapel is playing politics with his position. In Oyo state where he hails from, he’s encouraging the Christians to campaign and vote for Governor Seyi Makinde, while in Lagos, the incumbent Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is his favourite. He told those who cared to listen that they should vote for the candidates of the dominant party in the two states without any proper scrutiny to know if their programmes and policy align with the CAN and PFN irreducible minimum standard.

Unknown to many, Femi Emmanuel was a member of Oyo state house of Assembly during the still born Third Republic. In fact, he rose to become the deputy speaker in the state assembly. Prior to that time Femi Emmanuel runs ‘ Fem Man Bookshop’ in Mokola area of Ibadan before he started his ministry.

Now, some of the leaders are opposing his imposition of Oyo and Lagos states governors on the DPG. The  leaders are now asking what the Christians stand to benefit from the two governors as clearly spelt out in their manifesto. They are yet to come to term with the criteria used to ask Christians to support PDP in Oyo and APC in Lagos. 

Newsnowonline investigation revealed that Femi Emmanuel who has never hidden his love for politics is trying to impose his own candidates on the DPG as opposed to the best among the candidates of other political parties across the south west. His mandate includes liasing with other members in the DPG to critically analyse and review the governance structure to know if the level of development commensurate with accruals in the south west.

“Individual preference and patronage by politicians who are on deft political move to weaken the group may eventually put the group asunder,” said a source who craves anonymity.

DPG which come under serious attack at the formation by politicians who were not comfortable that Christians are awake to take their rightful position in the polity may eventually caved in to the intrigues as members are now working at cross purposes to achieve selfish goals as opposed to the collective interest that birth the organization.