Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries, OFM, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is not a religious bigot.
Suleman stated this in an open letter, which he wrote to Femi Adesina, a Presidential Spokesman, whom he had earlier disagreed with over the widespread insecurity in the country.
In the letter, Suleman stated that he holds Adesina in high esteem.
He also said that he has deep respect for Buhari. “Sadly, in Nigeria, and especially under this current administration, anyone who speaks truth to power, is termed partisan or political; some even say such a person hates President Muhammadu Buhari”, he wrote.
“But how can a man hate his President? That is giving a dog a bad name just to hang it. Let me give you a few shockers, sir, which many Nigerians do not even know. My biological father is an APC Chieftain; a major frontline and Stakeholder in Edo State politics, with the ruling party. The Governor and the Deputy Governor of Edo State are very close to me, and the National Chairman is my brother. Yet, we all relate well, and they worship in our Church, whenever they are around, because they separate issues from the relationship. That is principle sir!
“I have built schools and given to governments, fixed government roads and rehabilitated people who were convicted. These are verifiable, as you can ask my State Governor. If I hate this government, I will not do all that.”
On those who describe President Buhari as a religious bigot, Suleman asked: “How can that be? A very good friend of mine recently spoke to me about President Buhari, and I told her my views of him, and she laughed. And that evening, President Muhammadu Buhari called me on phone and we exchanged pleasantries. And, at the end, I prayed with him in Jesus name, and he said Amen! Tell me, which religious bigot does that? So, seeing what is happening now, tells me that he is surrounded by people who are painting him wrongly before some who are not privileged to know him. Or has he changed from being whom I knew him to be then?”
The Clergyman asked Adesina not to always take criticisms as political, advising the government not to respond to all issues.
