The General Overseer of God’s Mercy Revival Ministries (GOMERM), Dr. James Akanbi, has advised fellow ministers of God against making controversial and flagrant political prophecies, visions and declarations ahead of the 2027 election; enjoing them to maintain dignified silence on politics in order to preserve the integrity of the body of Christ. He also charges the Nigerian government to maximize the potentials of the Nigerian youths in his response on the Super Falcons’ triumph at the recent African women football tournament in Morocco in the below interview with journalists on the 2025 Zion Power Conference of God’s Mercy Revival Ministries (GOMERM). Excerpts.
Please, what inspired the yearly Zion Power Conference of the ministry?
We follow vision in all we do here. All that you see in this commission were by vision. Our location here was by vision. Our campground was by vision. Zion Power Conference was by vision. We do nothing here by ambition or copying. Sometime in March 2000, I saw in a vision a flyer face down. I picked it up and saw on it; God’s Mercy Revival Ministry Power Conference Year 2000. An old man came closer and asked me, what is that in your hand? I showed him the flyer. And he said to me that will be the yearly name of the coming together of all of the sons and daughters in the ministry. That was how the conference started.
Share with us some testimonies from the conference over the years
Testimonies are natural and common occurrences at Zion Power Conference. I can’t describe or limit the work of the Holy Ghost. There was a testimony of someone from whom the steel inserted in his knee was removed. An 80-year-old herbalist attended the conference with eyes problem. During ministration a light flashed on his eyes and he started screaming I can see! Another person was healed of 18 years brain problem. He is now a pastor here. There are several other testimonies.
What are the expectations from the 2025 Zion Power Conference?
The topic for this year is Divine Supernatural. That’s exactly what we are expecting God to demonstrate in the lives of the participants at this year’s conference. God will work strange miracles of salvation, healing, restoration, deliverance in the lives of the people and also meet their long expectations. The power of God will do great and mighty things in the lives of people at this conference like in the days of old. Divine supernatural is God’s authority over natural things. God will cancel the law of nature, the law of Satan and human laws; including economy law. The supernatural will swallow all kinds of problems. Divine supernatural will override satanic supernatural. It will hold in three sessions daily. Morning session from 8am with Enough is Enough powerful prayer to deal with stubborn problems; followed by Building the Builders Ministers Summit and revival service later in the evening.
Briefly, share with us the profiles of the guest ministers at the conference
The guest ministers are consultants and specialists in their various fields. They include Pastor Odesola of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) with over 4,000 churches under his watch covering Nigeria and Middle East. A veteran, Pastor Isaac Omoleyin who started with supernatural when all the birds he wanted to use for his final project in the university died. He had attended the university an old man. While kneeling down his tears dropped on the dead birds and they resurrected. He will talk on supernatural. Pastor Samson Ajetumobi from Ibadan will teach at the Building the Builders Summit on Leadership in Pastoral ministry.Rev. Dan Akingbelure a seasoned preacher of total gospel will also be of immense blessings to participants that seek to experience the supernatural in the lives.
How should the participants do to receive the blessings at this conference?
One problem is many people in the Christendom do not know the right approaches to making things happen. There are some wrong approaches to making invocation in Christianity. For example, crying to get something from God is sentimental. Life doesn’t answer to that. Principles are very blunt and rigid. They do not respect tears or emotion. James 1:25 says look at the law of liberty. The Bible is the law of liberty and principles. We need strategic approaches to the things of God. We must know the laws to use to invoke or activate those things. When you are coming to a meeting like this conference, you must come prepared with faith. You must come with a prepared heart. You must come praying and fasting. The woman made up her mind from home with faith that “if I get there and just touch the hem of his garment I will be healed.” She made up her mind before she left home. It shouldn’t be until you get to a meeting like this conference you start preparing. Those who will get things in church have already gotten them from home. They’ve already secured it. They’ve prayed it out. They’ve made up their minds. Anyone that gets to a meeting before making up his mind cannot get it. Prophecy goes to those who are prepared for it. It is preparation that meets opportunities. So, people coming for this conference must prepare for it with prayer, fasting, faith and expectations.
Now on the state of the nation. Political tention is already mounting across Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections in the country. How can this tension be reduced or managed from exploding into a violent political crisis?
We can’t reduce the tension. In fact the political tension will be higher with what is presently happening. The ADC is gaining momentum and you expect the APC to watch akimbo without planting moles in the ADC. This is already happening with factions here and there creating and heightening the tension. But I believe it won’t be as it used to be in the past with blood shedding. Blood will not flow like in the past. Yes, there will be lot of betrayal and treachery within the political space, but blood flow will be minimal because of the upgrade in the sensitivity of people.
What will be your advice to the President if you are opportune to meet with him today?
The Bible says if the foundation be destroyed what can the righteous do? One major factor that makes leadership effective is vision. What is the vision of the person you want to counsel for the nation beyond personal ambition? When vision is lacking poor leadership is inevitable. Vision is a mental picture of a desired future. If you want to govern any particular nation what should be your drive is your vision for that nation. It is those who have vision that set goals. It is those who have goals that have strategy. It is those who have strategy that have plans. Without a definite vision you cannot set goals, have strategy and draw plans. The finance minister or the governor of the central bank may have vision but what’s the vision of the main man; the President? So, if I am opportune to meet with Mr. President today, I will first ask him, what’s your vision for this nation? Where do you want us to get to at the end of your first four years in office? It’s a big problem that Nigeria’s politics is not ideology-based. It is personality based. If the Republican Party is in government in America you will know exactly what to expect. If it is the Democratic Party, you will know exactly what to expect. But here in Nigeria, politicians jump from one party to another party due to lack of political ideology. They are not even ashamed of having one leg in one party and the other leg in another party, including those who are close to the President. Who are the people running or driving the vision of the President? Unfortunately, most of them do not have vision themselves. We are in soup in this country! Nigeria is in a big mess!
What role should the church play towards a peaceful 2027 general elections?
Aside praying for its success, servants of God should maintain dignified silence on the 2027 elections and on party politics generally. They should refrain from making controversial and flagrant political declarations, statements, prophecies and visions on politics in order to preserve the integrity and the neutrality of the body of Christ. Demonic prophets are now working in consonance with Godly prophets to mess up the polity, which is the devil’s agenda. The demonic prophets are also so potent that any careless believer will be swept off his/her feet by their demonic visions and prophecies. They gain the peoples’ consciousness dishing out their own prophecies aligning with what the people did or ate yesterday whereas they are herbalists, witches and marine spirit in suites looking like genuine pastors to deceive people, including the careless and gullible saints. So, if the prophets of the devil want to continue prophesying on politics and elections, let the genuine prophets of God keep quiet as time would prove who is genuine or not. We should not find ourselves competing with those people. God revealing who the president or governor would be most times is not for public consumption to pollute the air. If not for their rascality, the ‘ministries’ or churches of many of these so called ‘prophets’ would have been shut down for their failed and fake prophecies. It’s wisdom to shut up to clear the mess.
How can the Nigeria’s Super Falcons’ recent triumph at the just concluded African women football tournament in Morrocco impact on Nigeria’s global image?
The Super Falcons’ triumph is just a metaphor of the Nigerian resilient spirit. It has little impact, if not nothing at all on the global scale. Whatever happens in Africa doesn’t change the global perceptions of Africans by the entire world. When the United States of America (USA) sneezes the entire world shakes. The United States recently downgraded Nigeria on her visa policy. So, how will the Falcons’ victory change the US’ perception of Nigeria? The US has battered Nigeria saying Nigeria is fraudulent. How do you expect somebody like me to be queuing for visa every three months? Even the five years is not enough, having many other long range visas from other countries. America is just telling us, you guys are not welcome into our country. It is pathetic! However, the victory of the Super Falcons is a challenge on the government maximize in the potentials of the Nigerian youths by investing in their talents and honest vocations to curb the youth restiveness and exuberances towards attaining great heights in their various vocations just like the victorious Super Falcons
Lots of youths despite having the call of God over their lives do not have an accountability figure over their lives. What is your advice for them?
The issue is not that they don’t have accountability figure. The issue is many of them do not seek for one. Some don’t know how to sustain the accountability figure. When God sends a man of God to you, or sends you to a man of God, you are to work it out. Even salvation that is freely given; that Jesus had paid the price; the Bible still says work out your salvation with fear and trembling. So, to have an accountability figure over your life, you have to work it out. You have to know how to sustain it. Elisha knew how he sustained it with Elijah. Elijah was a terrible and tough man but Elisha played his card well. Elisha was the managing director of a very successful business but was still pouring water on the hands of Elijah. He knew how to sustain the relationship. When the man was saying it’s time to go, he said we must go together. This shows loyalty, faithfulness and commitment. This is lacking in many young ministers of today. They don’t have the tenacity and the resilience to sustain good relationships and opportunities. They want to be like their accountability figure overnight. They don’t want to take the path of integrity, which is one of the topics I will speak on at the Building the Builder Conference, how to raise funds for your ministry without losing credibility. Many young ministers are not ready to wait. They lack patience. They don’t know what it takes to relate with a man of God that they seek to emulate or follow in ministry. For instance, one of our guest speakers, Pastor Odesola; my mentor, has been following Daddy Adeboye for 46 years now. This type of commitment is lacking in today’s generation of leaders. Any followership that has no commitment will end up in futility. Ruth said to Naomi where you die, I shall die. No wonder she became the great grandmother of Jesus. Every following has what we call commitment and commitment is sacrifice and it’s tough.
