The NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR
MARATHON PRAYERS
Monday 16th – Sunday 22nd March 2026
TOWARDS 2027 – WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?
Thus, saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Jer. 6:16-17
It would be tragic if Nigerians, either by commission or omission, permit the current set of politicians to administer the affairs of the country for another term of four years. Of course, those who merchandise and profit from the sleaze which APC calls governance will disagree, but the choice is left for Nigerians to decide. APC could only be considered an electoral option if Nigerians believe that they have not suffered enough, or if Nigerians have learnt nothing from all that they have suffered since APC came into power in 2015.
The hype and propaganda that a “reform” is taking place is as hollow as the “Nigeria Air” fraud under Buhari. From its inception, the current administration made it clear that it was more interested in its re-election than in actual governance. Its predecessor spent six months in office before forming a cabinet in 2015. APC demonstrated that it was never interested in governance; its only interest was to have power and control the resources of the country to achieve some clandestine objectives that are opposed to the well-being of Nigerians. The party has spent eleven years proving this point.
The challenge before the country is to raise a new generation of credible leaders who can provide direction, development and progress for Nigeria. The politicians who are yet to defect to APC are generally not better than those who are in the APC. If given power, the chances are that the non-APC politicians will continue from where APC stopped. Their track record in political office alludes to this fact.
Under the circumstances, Nigerians must carefully weigh their options and decide if they are satisfied with grumbling, while a few corrupt citizens continue to hijack the instrument of the State to enrich themselves, and plunge the ethnic nationalities into slavery and servitude on their ancestral land. In the prayer call of last week which was entitled ANOTHER WAKE-UP CALL, it was explained that the objective of the ongoing religious insurgency is to hand over Nigeria to the Arabs by using Islam to drive the process. The objective of the Islamization agenda is Arabization. APC Government has proven by its response and handling of the insurgency that it is complicit in this act of treachery. A party that absorbs terrorists into the army cannot absolve itself of being a terrorist sympathizer.
While we believe in the efficacy of prayers, the Bible also teaches that “faith without works is dead” Jam. 2:26. The devotion and energy that Christians put into prayers and fasting should be equally applied into political awareness and mobilization. Angels of God will not vote on election day. Undeniably, APC has perfected its rigging machinery, but it can only succeed where the citizens are complacent and indifferent. There is no force that can stop a people determined to break free from oppression. What is going on in Nigeria is State sponsored oppression. Last week, the price of fuel surpassed N1,200 per litre from the N87 per litre at which APC met it in 2015. Then, it had accused PDP of corruption and mismanagement and promised Nigerians CHANGE. That promise of “change” turned out to be “chains” of bondage upon the land. It is time to break the chains of oppression upon Nigeria. It is time to build a country in which the citizens would be happy and willing to pay taxes as their contribution to nation building, while many would cease looking for escape routes out of the country.
In compliance with the word of God in Isaiah 9:6 that “the government shall be upon his shoulders”, the Christian community must accept the challenge of providing righteous leadership for Nigeria. The Church is endowed with the resources to provide transformational leadership for the country. Not only does the Church have huge voting assets, but it also has men and women of capacity who can steer the affairs of the State in the interest of all the citizens. It should no longer be considered spirituality for Church leaders to keep declaring prayers and fasting over Nigeria without adequate mobilization of their members to be active in political engagement. While most Christians may be waiting for God to intervene, God may be waiting for the Christians to act. God has given to the Christians in Nigeria everything that they need to transform the country. If the country continues in these doldrums, no one can hold God responsible.
While it is desirable for Christians to step out to provide leadership for Nigeria, it should be stated that contesting the office of the President is not an ego trip. As brethren who have indicated interested in holding this office are appreciated, the element of preparation should not be ignored. Under democracy, no one becomes the president simply because a pastor prophesied over his life or poured anointing oil upon him. The presidential election is won by people who have national political structures. People who cannot win their Constituency or Senatorial District should not come out claiming that they want to become president of the country. Any presidential aspirant can easily assess his capacity by placing a map of Nigeria on the wall and place a pin on the states in which he believes he can obtain 25% of the votes. Every presidential candidate will require 25% of votes cast in 24 states and in the FCT. People should avoid delusions of grandeur. Winning the presidency is serious business.
This is where Christian political consensus comes in and the leaders of denominations have a huge role to play. If the denominational leaders could agree to a Christian political consensus candidate and place the interest of the kingdom of God above personal and denominational interests, it is possible for the Church to throw its weight behind a capable and conscientious candidate to provide righteous leadership for Nigeria. One thing is clear; Nigerians are tired of APC. The bloodshed, the corruption, incompetency, kidnappings, killings, and the collapse of critical infrastructure under APC have all combined to discredit the party. If Christian leaders can seize the moment and harmonize Christian political assets, Nigeria shall produce good government in 2027.I
In last week’s prayer call, the estimated membership of the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church was presented. In this week’s prayer call, the estimated membership of the five Church Blocs that make up Christianity in Nigeria shall be presented below.
• Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria dioceses – 30 million
• Christian Council of Nigeria – 30 million
• CPFN/PFN – 40 million
• Organization of African Churches – 15 million
• TEKAN/ECWA – TEKAN 12m; ECWA 6m
(These figures are rough estimates since there is no credible census figure in Nigeria that captures the religion of the citizens.)
President Tinubu was declared president in 2023 with eight million votes. From the estimated membership of the churches above, the Christian community can produce over 50 million votes if a righteous government is the priority of the Church leaders. One would wonder why a righteous government would not be the goal of any servant of Christ. Christians are primarily called to establish the kingdom of God on earth. Those who have been led astray by the love of the world should repent and retrace their steps.
If these Church Blocs unite to provide Nigeria with righteous government, they will succeed. The Christian leaders aligned to politicians in APC should bear in mind that a Muslim president in 2027 will give the Islamists 24 uninterrupted years of holding power in Nigeria. If that should occur, by 2039, (counting from 2015) the secular status of Nigeria would be negatively impacted. The present-day Cathedrals might become mosques like the Haggia Sophia in Turkey. Probably, this is what God foresaw when on Saturday 14th September 2013, He said, “if care is not taken, in 30 – 40 years, Nigeria would be like Turkey.” Thirty years from 2013 would be 2043, just 17 years from now. Some of the Church leaders who are supposed to act decisively today, to prevent the total Islamisation of Nigeria, would still be alive. They will remember these warnings, the way many Nigerians regretfully remember the WAKE-UP CALL of 2014, twelve years ago.
The Church leaders who are not compromised have the onerous task of reaching out to their colleagues and impressing on them that Christianity in Nigeria is standing at the edge of the precipice. Like Elisha told Gehazi, ... Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 2 Kings 5:26 The curse of leprosy is the portion of those who commercialize the anointing of God. This is not the time to place the love of money over the Christian faith. The consequences could be disastrous.
In rounding up this prayer call, a nagging question calls for an answer. Do Nigerians have an option to Tinubu’s APC? Yes, there is option to Tinubu. However, that option depends on the willingness of Church leaders to work together as one. Muslim leaders are unable to lead in this initiative because they are restricted by their religion to support a Muslim-Muslim candidate. However, individual Muslims will welcome a serious Christian candidate that shows capacity to take the throne. They expressed this hope in 2023.
The Church of Christ remains the credible hope for Nigeria in this season of darkness over the land. Denominational leaders who have not soiled their hands with funds looted from the treasury can work with the socio-political arm of the Church to commence mobilization of Christians. There is still time to adopt a political party and endorse a Christian who has structure and capacity to be supported to win the presidency. One thing is clear, if the Church should move in the direction of righteousness in the land, heaven will arise and back it. The Church must arise. That is the option for Nigeria.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lam. 3:22-23 Pray that mercy shall prevail over judgment for Nigeria.
2. Rev. 11:15 Pray that the kingdom of Nigeria shall become the kingdom of Christ.
3. Jn. 17:21-23 Pray that the desire of the Lord for the unity of His people shall be fulfilled in the Nigeria Church.
4. Philp. 3:18-19 Pray that God will execute judgment on Christian leaders who frustrate unity of the Body of Christ because of their personal selfish interest.
5. 1 Sam. 16:1 Intercede that God shall provide for Himself in Nigeria a ruler who will be a man after God’s own heart.
6. Is. 22:15-19 Pray that all the politicians who assume that they are immoveable shall be uprooted by the Almighty God.
7. Matt. 5:13-15 Pray for grace that Nigeria Church shall fulfil its role in Nigeria as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Amen
