At 84, Pastor Adeboye shouldn't be the one carrying Nigeria's protest placard, that's the blunt message from Peter Obi as social media drags the RCCG leader into politics.

So, Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has stepped in to defend Pastor Enoch Adeboye after a fresh wave of online attacks.

It all started because young Nigerians were calling the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God out over insecurity, demanding he speak up or lead a protest against the Federal Government. They were sharing a viral photo claiming it showed Adeboye holding a placard during a demonstration against former President Goodluck Jonathan.

RCCG has since debunked it, saying the picture was from a peaceful walk organised under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, nothing to do with partisan politics cbinewstv reports.

Obi jumped on X on Thursday and basically said: stop it. Don't let yourselves be used to push narratives that break the country apart.

He pointed to the 2023 elections, Lagos especially, as a lesson in how quickly talk about governance and development gets twisted into ethnic and religious sentiment. His take is simple: when politicians can't compete on ideas, performance, character or vision, they exploit our fault lines.

"Throughout history, whenever politicians find it difficult to compete on ideas, performance, character, or vision, some resort to exploiting the fault lines of ethnicity, religion, and identity. Their calculation is simple: a divided people are easier to manipulate than a united people."

He also warned that a lot of these narratives are planted and amplified, and good people end up sharing them without recognising the bigger agenda behind them.

On Adeboye himself, Obi was clear. He called him one of the foremost fathers of faith in Nigeria, a man who has consistently preached peace, prayer, love, reconciliation and national unity, even when provoked.

And then the kicker:

"At 84 years of age, it would be unfair for young and able-bodied Nigerians to transfer to him responsibilities that properly belong to them."

In Obi's view, building a better Nigeria rests primarily on the shoulders of the younger generation. It's their duty to lead the conversations, champion the reforms, and drive the change.

His final advice? Verify information, question the narrative, resist manipulation.

"The Nigeria of our dreams can only be built by citizens who refuse to be divided, who choose unity over hatred, and who place our collective future above narrow interests."

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