The race for Nigeria\u2019s 2027 presidential election received a significant religious endorsement on Wednesday as the Charismatic Bishops\u00a0 Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) declared its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s bid for a second term.<\/p>\n
The endorsement was\u00a0announced at the\u00a0grand finale of\u00a0the CBCN\u2019s 2026\u00a0Synod and the\u00a0International Communion\u00a0of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles\u00a0(ICCABA), held at\u00a0the National Christian\u00a0Centre in Abuja.<\/p>\n
The event, attended\u00a0by senior government\u00a0officials and Christian\u00a0leaders, also featured\u00a0the unveiling of\u00a0Nigerian National Prayer\u00a0Handbook, authored by CBCN\u00a0President-General, Archbishop\u00a0Prof. Leonard Bature\u00a0Kawas.<\/p>\n
\u2018This House Has\u00a0Endorsed Him for\u00a02027\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n The political climax\u00a0came when Kawas\u00a0announced that the\u00a0conference had resolved\u00a0to support Tinubu\u00a0in the 2027\u00a0presidential contest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe support him\u00a0now. We support\u00a0him today, we\u00a0support him tomorrow, and we support\u00a0him for as\u00a0long as he\u2019s\u00a0willing to be\u00a0our president,\u201d Kawas\u00a0said.<\/p>\n He subsequently made\u00a0the endorsement explicit: \u201cThis house has\u00a0endorsed him for\u00a02027 presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n According to reports\u00a0from the event, the conference\u2019s position\u00a0followed an assessment\u00a0of the Tinubu\u00a0administration and its\u00a0record since taking\u00a0office in May\u00a02023. Kawas and\u00a0other CBCN representatives\u00a0pointed particularly to\u00a0what they regarded\u00a0as inclusivity in\u00a0government appointments, the administration\u2019s handling\u00a0of religious diversity\u00a0and efforts to\u00a0tackle insecurity.<\/p>\n The endorsement is\u00a0politically significant\u00a0because Tinubu and\u00a0Vice-President Kashim\u00a0Shettima ran on\u00a0a Muslim-Muslim\u00a0ticket in 2023, a decision that\u00a0generated intense opposition\u00a0from sections of\u00a0Nigeria\u2019s Christian community.<\/p>\n Kawas said the\u00a0CBCN had initially\u00a0had reservations about\u00a0the same-faith\u00a0ticket but that\u00a0its assessment had\u00a0changed following the\u00a0administration\u2019s subsequent\u00a0appointments and policies.<\/p>\n A Different Religious\u00a0Conversation From 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n The CBCN endorsement\u00a0also inevitably recalls\u00a0one of the\u00a0most controversial religious\u00a0episodes of the\u00a02023 election cycle: the appearance of\u00a0men dressed as\u00a0bishops at the\u00a0July 2022 unveiling\u00a0of Shettima as\u00a0Tinubu\u2019s running mate.<\/p>\n The episode became\u00a0known as the\u00a0\u201cfake bishops\u201d controversy, although that description\u00a0remains contested.<\/p>\n At the Shehu\u00a0Musa Yar\u2019Adua Centre\u00a0in Abuja on\u00a0July 20, 2022, more than 30\u00a0men and other\u00a0Christian clerics appeared\u00a0at the event\u00a0in ecclesiastical clothing. Their presence attracted\u00a0immediate attention because\u00a0Tinubu had just\u00a0selected Shettima, a\u00a0fellow Muslim, as\u00a0his running mate\u00a0despite sustained opposition\u00a0to a Muslim-Muslim ticket from\u00a0sections of the\u00a0Christian community.<\/p>\n The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) quickly dissociated itself from the men. Its representatives challenged the APC to identify the supposed bishops and the churches they represented. The Catholic Church also said the men were not its representatives.<\/p>\n Video: NAFDAC boss, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, blows hot over calls to resign<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n