2027: Don’t turn your pulpits into platforms for incitement, Tinubu cautions bishops

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President Tinubu

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By Chidinma Chukwu, Abuja

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ABUJA — Ahead of the 2027 general election, President Bola Tinubu has urged Christian leaders to promote peace and responsible participation in the electoral process, warning against the use of the pulpit to incite violence or deepen divisions.

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Tinubu made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 International Synod of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles, held at the National Christian Centre.

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Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, the President urged the Church to play a greater role in peacebuilding and national security by helping to bridge denominational and religious divides.

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He stressed that political contests were temporary, while Nigeria would remain beyond the elections.

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“As charismatic bishops and fathers of faith, you have a decisive role to play in helping to ensure that Nigeria does not lose. I urge you, therefore, to encourage peaceful and consensual participation in the election.

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“You should raise your voices against anti-democratic practices, such as vote buying, hate speech and the weaponisation of ethnicity or religion.

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“To uphold the enviable level of uninterrupted democratic governance, you should demand issue-based campaigns and caution political actors whose ambition must never be placed above national peace and interest.

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“This charge would, however, be incomplete if I do not admonish you to please refrain from turning the pulpit into an instrument of incitement instead of the sanctuary of conscience. An election is a contest for profits,” he said.

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The President also acknowledged the sacrifices Nigerians had made amid the ongoing economic reforms, assuring citizens that the Federal Government remained focused on improving household incomes, reducing hardship and ensuring that the benefits of the reforms were increasingly felt across the country.

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“We commend our citizens for their patriotism and resilience, and assure them that it will never be in vain, as promised,” he said.

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Similarly, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, urged religious leaders to use their influence to steer young people away from radicalisation and criminality, while supporting community early-warning mechanisms and promoting dialogue.

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Idris said Nigeria’s diversity required responsible leadership across all sectors of society, stressing that the responsibility for preserving national unity could not be left to the government alone.

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“Keeping this country united requires more than government action. It requires responsible leadership across society, including religious leadership,” he said.

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The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom, saying Christians, Muslims and adherents of other faiths should be able to worship and live peacefully without discrimination.

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“No election should be allowed to turn Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian, North against South, or one ethnic group against another. Nigeria belongs to all of us,” he said.

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However, the President-General of the Christian body, Archbishop Prof. Leonard Bature Kawas, declared the conference’s support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

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Kawas said the Church had examined the administration’s record and was prepared to continue supporting the President through prayers, advocacy and public engagement, citing what he described as the administration’s efforts to promote national development and inclusivity.

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“We support him now. We support him today, we support him tomorrow, and we support him for as long as he’s willing to be our president,” Kawas said.

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