Alabama’s candidate for speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives suggested earlier this year that God gave him clarity to break a campaign promise and run for a sixth term in office.

Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, who was first elected in 2014, broke the promise when he announced he would seek a sixth term in office.

The announcement unleashed criticism from U.S. Term Limits, the national group advocating for citizen legislators and whose term limits pledge Palmer signed in 2014.

It was also the rationale given businessman Gerrick Wilkins gave for why he launched a primary campaign against Palmer.

Palmer signed a pledge to back legislation barring House members from serving more than three terms, or six years, and U.S. senators from serving no more than two terms, or 12 years, in office.

The pledge did not state that signers would have to abide by those terms themselves, as pointed out by Palmer’s spokesman, but the congressman made a personal pledge to serve no more than five terms in office when he first ran.

“I own that. I said I would serve only five terms,” Palmer told Alabama Today in March.

Palmer said another candidate at a forum made the pledge and he followed suit without consulting God.

“I didn’t pray about it,” Palmer said, according to Alabama Today. “Sometimes you get ahead of God.”

The Alabama congressman contended he planned on abiding by the pledge until early March, when he prayed to God “for clarity” on his decision.

“I need to change my mind, so I am going to run again,” Palmer told Alabama Today. “God still has a plan for me. I need to change my mind, so I am going to run again. I know I am going to have detractors. I know people are going to question. I would rather not have it.”

Wilkins cited the pledge as part of the reason he is running against Palmer in the Republican primary this year.

“Gary broke his promise. He said he was only going to run five terms, and he’s gone back on his word there,” Wilkins said on the “Jeff Poor Show” Thursday on FM Talk1065.

“Instead of sitting idly by, we need citizen lawmakers to step up to work on making a difference in Washington,” Wilkins said. “It’s disappointing to see the dysfunction, and we need business leaders to step up and say, ‘these career politicians, you’re not getting the job done.’ It’s time for a change.”