By Ejike Ogbonna
A political analyst, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has warned against the politicisation of religious authority ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the endorsement of political candidates by groups parading ecclesiastical authority could further deepen Nigeria’s religious and political fault lines.
Ejiofor was reacting to a recent gathering in Abuja by the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, where members reportedly endorsed President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for a second term, citing what they described as his achievements in office.
In a statement titled, “The auction of ecclesiastical imprimatur: A disturbing show of shame and the urgent need to quarantine religious authority from the 2027 electioneering campaigns,” Ejiofor said religious institutions should strengthen democratic values rather than become instruments of partisan mobilisation.
He said: “The Church should be a conscience to power, not a megaphone for power. A bishop should be able to challenge the government today and commend it tomorrow without either position being interpreted as evidence of political purchase.”
According to him, the issue was not whether Christians or members of the clergy had the constitutional right to support candidates of their choice, but whether collective religious authority should be deployed as an electoral endorsement mechanism.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not an argument against Christians participating in politics. It is an argument against the politicisation of Christianity. It is not an objection to individual clergy exercising their civic rights. It is a caution against converting collective ecclesiastical authority into an electoral endorsement mechanism,” he said.
Ejiofor urged political actors and religious leaders to ensure that the 2027 elections were contested on issues, records and competing visions for the country rather than religious solidarity.
“The 2027 elections should therefore be fought on issues, records and competing visions for Nigeria and not on the altar of religious solidarity. And, quite frankly, our democracy certainly deserves better than an electoral contest in episcopal regalia,” he said.
He recalled a recent warning by the Chief Executive Officer of Arise Television, Chief Nduka Obaigbena, who urged politicians, particularly presidential aspirants, to embrace issues-based campaigns and avoid religious-based politicking.
Ejiofor said the warning was particularly relevant given Nigeria’s history of religious tensions and the consequences of exploiting religious sentiments for political gains.
“Unfortunately, scarcely had the echoes of that counsel subsided when we witnessed what can only be described as a rather curious theatrical deployment of ecclesiastical authority,” he said.
He said he was particularly concerned about the manner in which ecclesiastical identity and the symbolic authority associated with the episcopacy were allegedly mobilised for partisan political endorsement before the formal commencement of electioneering.
“Let me make this abundantly clear: I do not question, and have no intention of questioning, the constitutional freedom of any Nigerian, including a clergyman, to choose, support or vote for any candidate of his or her choice. Every citizen is entitled to his political preference,” Ejiofor said.
“What I find profoundly disturbing, however, is the manner in which ecclesiastical identity and the symbolic authority of the episcopacy were apparently mobilised and deployed as an instrument of partisan political endorsement.”
He also questioned the ecclesiastical credentials of some of those who attended the Abuja gathering, saying he did not recognise among them bishops from established and widely recognised ecclesiastical traditions.
Ejiofor said the controversy should, however, not be reduced to the appearance or credentials of those at the gathering, stressing that the larger issue was the use of religious authority in partisan politics.
“The Church occupies a unique moral space in society. Its authority is not derived from political office, governmental patronage, party structures or electoral arithmetic. Its influence flows principally from the confidence reposed in it as a moral and spiritual institution,” he said.
“That authority is therefore too sacred to be converted into an electoral campaign accessory.”
Ejiofor said clergy members were entitled to political preferences as citizens but cautioned against confusing their personal political choices with the collective authority of the Church.
“There is nothing inherently wrong with a bishop, pastor, priest or Christian leader having political preferences. Indeed, clergy are citizens before they are ordained as clergy, and they do not forfeit their civic rights by virtue of ordination.
“But the pulpit is not a political rally. Episcopal vestments are not party uniforms. The altar is not a campaign podium and ecclesiastical authority must never become a substitute for democratic persuasion,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria could ill afford another election cycle in which religion and ethnicity became dominant tools of political mobilisation.
“Nigeria is approaching another intensely contested electoral season. The wounds created by the weaponisation of ethnicity and religion in previous political contests have hardly disappeared,” Ejiofor said.
