Charismatic Bishops Endorse Tinubu, Promise Prayers, Advocacy

The Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has declared its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.

It pledged continued prayers, advocacy and support for his administration.

The declaration was made during the grand finale of the 2026 Synod of the CBCN and the International Communion of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles (ICCABA), held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

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

President Tinubu was represented at the event by the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who conveyed the President’s appreciation for the prayers and contributions of religious leaders to national development.

Akume said the administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange system, were aimed at building a more productive and sustainable economy.

He acknowledged the hardship associated with the reforms but said the government remained committed to creating opportunities, improving household incomes, investing in infrastructure and strengthening social and human capital programmes.

The SGF also highlighted government’s efforts to tackle insecurity, including enhanced intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation and military operations.

He disclosed that more than 50,000 police personnel had been recruited and four additional Army divisions created to strengthen national security.

Akume urged religious leaders to intensify their role in peacebuilding and help young Nigerians resist extremist recruitment, political violence, hate speech and other forms of radicalisation.

As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, he called on the bishops to promote peaceful participation and speak against vote buying, hate speech and the weaponisation of ethnicity and religion.

“An election is a contest for office; it must never become a war for survival,” Akume said.

He urged political actors to focus on issues, policies and records, stressing that political ambition must not be placed above national peace and unity.

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Bishop Stephen Adegbite.

Adegbite commended the bishops for their commitment to peace, unity and national development, while praising President Tinubu’s administration for what he described as efforts towards building a new Nigeria.

He also commended the First Lady for her support for the Christian community and commitment to prayer and national unity.

Adegbite praised Akume for his engagement with Christian leaders, describing the SGF as a defender of the faith who had provided support and encouragement to religious organisations.

He urged the bishops to continue praying for Nigeria and supporting initiatives aimed at promoting peace and development.

On the 2027 elections, Adegbite called for peaceful campaigns and voting, urging Nigerians to support candidates of their choice and respect legitimate electoral outcomes.

“Let people campaign. Let people vote for people of their own choice, and let the result be announced, and the winner be thrown,” he said.

He also cited government interventions in education and infrastructure as areas where he said the Tinubu administration had recorded progress.

President-General of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, said the organisation had reviewed the policies and appointments of the Tinubu administration and concluded that the government had demonstrated religious and regional balance.

Kawas commended the President for appointing Christians to key government positions and praised the access and engagement Christian leaders had received under the administration.

He said the conference had previously called for stronger international cooperation in tackling insecurity and welcomed subsequent efforts by the government to deepen security partnerships.

According to Kawas, religious leaders have an important role to play in addressing insecurity and social challenges because citizens often turn to churches and pastors for assistance during periods of hardship.

He called for greater government support for religious organisations to enable them to contribute more effectively to humanitarian interventions, peacebuilding, youth development and community resilience.

Kawas subsequently announced the conference’s endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.

“Mr President, we are standing with him. We support him now, we support him today, we support him tomorrow,” he declared.

In his keynote address, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, urged religious leaders to use their influence to promote peace, responsible citizenship and national cohesion.

Idris said Nigeria’s constitutional guarantee of freedom of thought, conscience and religion must be protected, stressing that no Nigerian should be attacked or discriminated against because of their faith.

He cautioned against portraying the country’s security challenges as a religious war, noting that terrorists and criminal groups had attacked Nigerians across religious and ethnic lines.

According to him, the Federal Government has strengthened intelligence, inter-agency cooperation and military operations, while expanding international partnerships on intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism, training, defence and border security.

Idris said security agencies had recorded significant successes against terrorist and criminal networks, including the rescue in August of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara states.

He also said security forces had continued to put pressure on terrorist networks across the North-East, North-West and North-Central regions.

The minister urged religious leaders to help strengthen social cohesion, guide young people away from radicalisation and criminality, and promote dialogue as the appropriate response to political and social grievances.

Idris also highlighted several Federal Government programmes targeted at young Nigerians, including the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), 3 Million Technical Talent programme (3MTT), Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), National Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP), Student Venture Capital Grant (SVCG), Skill-Up Artisans Programme (SUPA) and Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE).

He said the initiatives were designed to provide skills, finance and opportunities to young Nigerians.

According to him, the church has a significant role to play because many religious organisations already operate schools, hospitals, vocational centres and humanitarian programmes.

Idris urged faith-based organisations to deepen their contribution to nation-building by promoting entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, discipline and respect for the dignity of work.

He also appealed to religious leaders to help combat misinformation, hate speech and messages capable of inflaming religious or ethnic tensions.

The minister said respected religious leaders had the capacity to either calm communities or inflame them, making responsible communication an essential part of religious leadership.

He called for stronger collaboration among government, religious organisations, traditional institutions, schools, civil society and the media to promote accurate information, civic responsibility and national orientation.

Idris said Nigeria’s political differences should not undermine the country’s broader national interest, noting that elections are temporary events while the Nigerian state must endure beyond electoral cycles and political parties.

He commended the CBCN and ICCABA for bringing together Christian leaders from across the country and expressed hope that the deliberations of the synod would translate into stronger communities, responsible citizenship and a more peaceful Nigeria