Nigerians react to bishops’ endorsement of Tinubu’s re-election bid

Some Nigerians have reacted to the Charismatic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s recent endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general election.

President Tinubu, who will complete his first four-year term in office on 29 May, is seeking re-election on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform in the 16 January presidential election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently cleared the president and 17 other candidates from other political parties for the election.

Rising from the 2026 Synod Charismatics Bishop Conference of Nigeria and International Communion of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles (ICCABA), held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, last Sunday, the archbishops declared support for Mr Tinubu’s re-election, citing the president’s support for the Christian faith through appointments and endorsement of state governors, who are of the faith.

“The president did not only appoint at the national level, but he also supported the emergence of Christian governors to be the majority in Nigeria. He has stood with Christianity alongside his wife.

“We stand with the president today and as long as he’s willing to be our president and even come in 2027, we will be standing with him. On this, this house has endorsed him for the 2027 presidency,” Leonard Kawas, an archbishop and CBCN president general, said during the grand finale of the synod.

The conference brought together Christian leaders to deliberate on peace, national unity, religious freedom, security, good governance and the role of the church in national development.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, represented Mr Tinubu at the event.

However, the Christian leaders’ endorsement of President Tinubu has sparked criticism from some Nigerians, who said they should be apolitical, while others described them as fake.

Criticisms

In a press statement, Elijah Ayodele, a primate and leader of the Inry Evangelical Spiritual Church, contended that the bishops who endorsed President Tinubu for a second term were not driven by divine sanction but by hunger for appointment or the need to be close to the seat of power.

In the statement signed by his media aide, the cleric cautioned the president not to be overjoyed by the endorsement, dismissing it as fake.

A Catholic priest with the username @Frjames on X also said, “It’s not God that led you – money did!”

Human Rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, commented on the viral video on X, saying, “Religious leaders have a duty to respect the sanctity of their institutions and must not allow themselves to be used as a political tool.”

Another X user with the username @Sports_Doctor2 said that the statement made by Mr Kawas stemmed from his controversy with the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi.

“His problem with Peter Obi is not that he’s not credible; it’s because he refused to pay him for supporting him. This shows you he’s being paid to support whoever he’s supporting now,” the X user stated.

The supporters

However, other Nigerians applauded the religious leader’s action.

Lere Olayinka, spokesperson for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, said the criticism against Mr Kawas came because he stopped supporting Mr Obi.

“He wasn’t a fake bishop; he became a fake bishop when he stopped supporting their ‘fake man.’ Bishop Kawas is facing what everyone who is not supporting Peter Obi is facing.”

Another user on YouTube with the username @Portablesminary-kg5wq said, “The charismatic has spoken. If you don’t believe them because of your candidate, then that is your problem. You would have felt better if they had chosen your candidate. What a hypocrite!”

Echoes from the past

In 2022, during the official unveiling of Kashim Shettima, as running mate to the All-Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in Abuja, some Christian clerics were in attendance, stirring controversy over their authenticity and suspicion around the event.

Some Christian groups interpreted the appearance of the clerics as an attempt to validate the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

President Tinubu and Mr Shettima are both Muslims.

Some Christian associations opposed the choice of a Muslim/Muslim ticket, describing it as part of the “Islamisation agenda” by the ruling party.

Archbishops defend action

Meanwhile, days after the Synod, Mr Kawas and the conference Secretary General, Chivir Chianson, came out to defend the endorsement of Mr Tinubu for a second term.

In an interview on ARISE TV on Saturday, the archbishop responded to critics, saying they are not fake.

“For those who say we are fake bishops, I didn’t just become a bishop today. I’ve been a bishop for over 25 years; I’ve been an archbishop for 14 years. My archbishopric is internationally recognised because I live in Washington DC,” Mr Kawas, who leads the Abuja-based World Harvest Ministries, said.

He also addressed critics who cited his strife with Mr Obi.

READ ALSO: 2027: APC governors reject Wike’s Rainbow Coalition

He said, “People call me fake, yet I supported Peter Obi at the initial stage of his presidential ambition and went with him everywhere in Nigeria, and he never gave me N1. Neither did he ever ask me how I came to the campaign; he would just see me there. We came and supported him. He never asked where I slept. Yet I did it, and nobody called me fake.”

He stated further, “It is unheard of for anybody to think that just because I am a bishop, I should have no interest in politics. God requires us to understand that He told us right from Genesis when He created man in verse 26, that the first assignment given to a man was to have dominion in this world. To have dominion means to be in charge. The Bible says when the righteous rule, the people rejoice. It is very painful that Christians have sat back, folded their hands, and said politics is a dirty game.”

Mr Kawas added that the concerns he once held over the Muslim-Muslim ticket have since been clarified, proving that it is not a leader’s religion that matters, but the quality of their leadership.

“I will hold nothing back when telling the president the truth; we were the ones that called on him to look into the matter when people were dying en masse in Benue State,” he stated.

Also, replying to the leader of the Inry Evangelical Spiritual church, he said, “I am seriously disappointed at Primate Elijah; he should have known better,”.

On his part, Mr Chianson said the position of the clerics stemmed from the policies and development achieved by Tinubu’s administration in the first term.

“Nigeria has been doing a lot better, especially in 2026 under his watch; our GDP has been growing. Now the unemployment rate has dropped as well. Unlike the previous government, diversity was badly mismanaged. Now he has restored our hopes, especially those of us from the Christian community,” he said in the interview with Arise Television.

Mr Chianson further pointed to the appointment of Mr Akume as SGF as a major turning point.

He argued that, upon closer examination of key ministries, the administration had ensured every ethnic group was represented in sensitive appointments, unlike the previous government, under which a single ethnic group had dominated such roles.

“He (Tinubu) will win, and he’s not only going to win; he will perform even better,” Mr Chianson said.