The Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term while the information minister urged churches to promote peace ahead of 2027.
The Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, urged church leaders across Nigeria to use their influence to promote peace, national unity, responsible citizenship and peaceful democratic participation ahead of the elections.
Idris made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at 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..
Minister’s Call for Unity
The minister said Nigeria’s diversity required responsible leadership across all sectors of society, stressing that preserving national unity could not be left to government alone.
“Keeping this country united requires more than government action. It requires responsible leadership across society, including religious leadership,” he said.
Idris reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom, stressing that Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths should be able to worship and live peacefully without discrimination. He cautioned against portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious war, noting that terrorists and criminal groups had attacked Nigerians across different faiths and backgrounds.
“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, adding that elections are temporary events while the Nigerian state must endure beyond electoral cycles and political parties.
Security and Economic Claims
The minister said the Tinubu administration had strengthened intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, military operations and the wider national security architecture, noting that approximately 1,000 terrorist elements, including dozens of their leaders, were eliminated in the first quarter of 2026. He also cited the August rescue of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara states as evidence of continued security agency efforts.
On the economy, Idris said the federal government was implementing reforms while expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through programmes including NELFUND, 3MTT, NYIF, NATEP, SVCG, SUPA and iDICE.
“Nigeria’s greatest resource is not only what lies beneath our soil. It is also the talent and ability of our people,” he said.
Idris urged religious leaders to strengthen social cohesion, guide young people away from radicalisation and criminality, support community early-warning mechanisms, and promote dialogue ahead of the 2027 elections. He also called on churches and faith-based organisations to deepen their contributions to education, healthcare, skills development, youth empowerment, humanitarian service and community development, and urged religious leaders to keep their pulpits as platforms for truth, peace and responsible citizenship rather than incitement and division.
The Endorsement
In the major political development at the event, CBCN President-General Archbishop Prof. Leonard Bature Kawas declared the conference’s support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing the administration’s policies and what he described as efforts to promote national development and inclusivity.
“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, adding: “This house has endorsed him for 2027 presidency.”
Kawas said the CBCN, which he said has members in 52 countries and 950 canonical bishops in Nigeria — had initially harboured concerns over the 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, but that its assessment shifted following subsequent appointments, including George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Nyesom Wike as FCT minister, which the group credited with helping balance the country’s religious and regional diversity. He said the conference had examined the administration’s record and was prepared to continue supporting the president through prayers, advocacy and public engagement, and pledged to mobilise its members nationwide behind the re-election bid.
Government’s Response
Representing Tinubu at the event, Akume commended the church for its prayers, humanitarian interventions and contributions to peace, national cohesion and moral formation. He acknowledged the sacrifices Nigerians had made during the ongoing economic reforms, assuring citizens that government remained focused on improving household incomes, reducing hardship and ensuring the benefits of reform were increasingly felt across the country.
“We commend our citizens for their patriotism and resilience, and assure them that it will never be in vain, as promised by Mr. President himself,” Akume said.
He also called for stronger collaboration between government and the church in addressing Nigeria’s security and development challenges, particularly in youth empowerment, education, peacebuilding, civic responsibility and humanitarian service.
“Government needs the moral reach of the Church, and the Church needs an enabling civic environment to thrive. Above all, Nigeria needs us to work together for the common good,” he said.
The SGF assured the gathering that government welcomed the church’s prayers, counsel, constructive criticism and partnership in advancing national development.
Photos of dignitaries at the Grand Finale of the 2026 CBCN/ICCABA Synod in Abuja, where the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in 2027.
