Nigeria: 2027 - Don't Turn Your Pulpits Into Platforms for Incitement, Tinubu Cautions Bishops

What the report says

President Bola Tinubu has called on Christian leaders in Nigeria to support peace and responsible participation ahead of the 2027 general election, cautioning them against using religious platforms to inflame tensions or widen divisions. According to Vanguard, which reported the remarks through AllAfrica, he delivered the message on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 International Synod of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles at the National Christian Centre, with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, speaking on his behalf.

Tinubu urged church leaders to back efforts against vote buying, hate speech and the use of ethnicity or religion in campaigns, and to press for issue-based politics. He also said Nigeria’s democratic life should be protected from violence and that political competition should not override national peace. His message came alongside a broader appeal for faith leaders to help bridge religious and denominational divides and contribute to peacebuilding and security.

The report also said Information Minister Mohammed Idris asked religious leaders to guide young people away from radicalisation and crime, while supporting dialogue and early-warning efforts in their communities. He stressed that protecting Nigeria’s unity was a shared responsibility. In a separate development at the same gathering, the Christian body’s president-general, Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas, said the group supported Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing what he described as the administration’s record and commitment to national development.