The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, says her husband’s decision to run on a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2023 left her isolated in her local church, describing the episode as a “bitter pill” that split her parish and tested her faith.
She made the disclosure in her new 52-page book, The Journey of Grace: Giving Thanks in All Things, made available to The PUNCH to mark her 65th birthday.
The five-chapter memoir is arranged by year from 2021 to 2025, with a foreword by Dr. Folashade Olukoya of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
She recounted, “We kept moving forward with hope in God, and each campaign was interesting despite the fact that all the odds were stacked against him.
“One of such decisions was the unpopular ‘Muslim/Muslim ticket’. My being a Christian did not matter. My local Assembly, Redeemed Christian Church of God, was split.”
The Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal denominations with sprawling parishes nationwide and across the globe.
She noted that the division only proved the diversity of political leanings in the church.
“I later realised that we are a church like other churches with members of all political parties in attendance.
“I experienced this during my campaign in 2011 for the Senate, when I took my campaign posters to the church, and it was rebuffed.
“After that, I never tried again.
But my husband’s bid for the Presidential Office was different, a bitter pill for them to chew,” Mrs Tinubu added.
The ruling All Progressives Congress’ same-faith ticket in 2022 revived one of Nigeria’s most sensitive political arguments at the time.
Critics, including prominent Christian groups, warned the move could inflame divisions in the religiously diverse country.
However, Tinubu’s supporters countered that competence, zoning and coalition arithmetic should decide the ticket.
The last comparable precedent was 1993, when the SDP fielded Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe.
The First Lady revealed that despite the animosity she faced due to her husband’s decision, she did not change places of worship.
“But I kept attending church, and I thank God I have grown from being a baby to a mature Christian.
“So the little resentment I witnessed from a few was met with the peace of God,” Mrs Tinubu wrote.
According to her, some members of the parish provided her succour despite the antagonism.
“All the same, despite a few who showed hostility, many were encouraging, especially our elders, who would encourage me from time to time with prayers.
“To this end, I am grateful to God and everyone of them, especially those of them who lived to watch the presidential inauguration when the time came. I thank the pastorate also for making arrangements for them,” she added.
“I thank my Local Assembly because most of them made me feel welcome and comfortable enough to come to church whenever I was home from Abuja, where I was still serving as a senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District,” she wrote.
The First Lady added that she could not give up her 15-year stint at the church, from where she rose from being a worker to Assistant Pastor.
Mrs Tinubu said, “I have been a dedicated member of my local assembly since 2007, and that would have been 15 years in attendance.
“Within that time, from the new members class, I graduated from The Redeemed Christian Bible College, also School of Disciples to become a worker, then a Deaconess and later an Assistant Pastor in 2018.”
President Bola Tinubu went on to win the February 2023 election, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, with Kashim Shettima as Vice-President.
The First Lady also said she had forgiven individuals who betrayed her husband during the 2023 election.
She insisted that she had no grudge against anyone and had since chosen peace.
She wrote, “I do not have anything against anyone…the question is how did I not feel the betrayal anymore? I knew the grace factor was evident, and the Holy Spirit continually comforted me. Never to avenge myself, assuring me that it is God’s prerogative. Mine is to thank Him for fighting for us.
“If God decides to fight your battles and you have won, is there any other thing that God missed and you wanted to fix? Nothing, so let it go.”
According to the First Lady, some of her husband’s closest allies were nowhere to be found when he decided to run for office.
She narrated, “He had mused on the idea for over 14 years, and this was where we arrived at a crossroads. Most people I thought would support the idea because of past relationships were not forthcoming.
“After consulting with some of his political allies, he was set to give it a shot. The decision now rested on him to go on or not to. A lot of consultations began.
“Some were favourable, while others were neither here nor there. Some said no indirectly, while others would rather want to see the outcome before taking a position.
“I realised that whatever good you do in life, it is only God who rewards you and not man,” she added.
The First Lady said she drew lessons from the life of Jesus, who went about doing good despite his many detractors.
“Letting go is what I did; doing good is what matters most. Like my Saviour Jesus Christ in Acts 10:38, who, after He was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him.
“So I do not have anything against anyone, and that also shows the frailty of man. Man is not God. We should never put our trust in any man; when they help, it is God using them to be a blessing.
“When they stop, it means their assignment for you from God has ended. Jeremiah 17:5-8. So look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2,” she added.
The First Lady tied her decision to forgive to wisdom drawn from scripture, saying she found release in thanksgiving and in refusing to expect too much from human relationships.
She narrated, “One morning, while I was in the bathroom, the Holy Spirit dropped this Word in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in my spirit man.
“He further explained to me that it is not in some things to give thanks, but in everything, both good and bad.
“Then I realised that this publication’s subtitle will be just that,” she wrote.
A long-time member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where she rose from worker to Assistant Pastor in 2018, Mrs Tinubu said she has always viewed her political experiences through the lens of her personal devotion to God.
She recalled the backlash she faced within her church community after her husband chose a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2022, describing it as a “bitter pill.”
She continued: “I became free to write without expecting anything from man, but God.
“Also, when the Word of God says we should bless our enemies, not curse them and do good to those who persecute us, and despitefully use us.
“Also, that whatsoever we do, we should do unto the Lord, that with whatever you measure unto others, God will measure back to you. I am at peace, doing all I can to make Nigeria better and greater.”
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