Nigeria, Jan. 25 -- There is something profoundly tragic about Rivers State politics. Not tragic in the theatrical sense, but tragic in the classical meaning of a story whose ending is known in advance, yet whose characters march stubbornly toward it anyway. Over the years, Rivers has perfected a political ritual in which power is transferred, only for gratitude to evaporate, alliances to collapse, and former benefactors to become sworn enemies. It is a cycle so consistent that it now feels less like coincidence and more like destiny.

This grim reality is what Pastor David Ibiyeomie attempted to capture when he recently described Rivers State's recurring political crises as a "spiritual problem." Speaking during Salvation Ministries' Glo...