09/11/2026
ONELIFE MEDIA COVERAGE
CBCN’s Tinubu 2027 Endorsement Raises Questions About the Church, Politics and Prophetic Integrity
From opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket to backing Tinubu: What changed?
ABUJA — The decision by the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election has generated fresh debate over the relationship between Nigeria’s Christian leadership and political power.
The endorsement was announced on September 9, 2026, at the 2026 CBCN Synod in Abuja by the President-General of the organisation, Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas.
Kawas said the conference had previously expressed reservations about the Muslim-Muslim ticket under which President Tinubu contested the 2023 presidential election. According to reports of his remarks, the group’s position changed after Tinubu appointed Christians, including Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and other Christians to prominent positions.
Kawas subsequently declared that the bishops would continue to support Tinubu and formally endorsed his 2027 presidential bid.
The development raises a fundamental question:
What has changed between 2023 and 2026?
When the Muslim-Muslim ticket was rejected
During the 2023 election cycle, concerns about the Muslim-Muslim ticket were widespread among sections of Nigeria's Christian community.
Today, however, the same political arrangement is being defended by some Christian leaders who say Tinubu's subsequent appointments and engagement with Christian interests have altered their assessment.
That change of position is legitimate if it is based on sincerely held convictions.
But it also deserves public examination.
A religious endorsement carries moral weight. Therefore, Nigerians are entitled to know whether the decision was based solely on measurable national performance, or whether access to government, appointments, political relationships and other interests also influenced the position.
Catholic bishops and the question of prophetic independence
The CBCN position also invites comparison with the approach of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, whose engagements with government have generally included national concerns such as insecurity, governance and the welfare of citizens.
The distinction is important.
A Church does not lose its prophetic authority merely because it engages government.
Indeed, religious leaders should have access to political leaders.
But access should never become dependence.
A bishop should be able to stand before a president and say:
“Mr President, you are doing well in this area, but you are wrong in this other area.”
That is the essence of prophetic leadership.
Questions raised by a CBCN member
OneLife Media also spoke with a person who identified himself as a member of the CBCN and who requested anonymity, citing fear of possible repercussions.
The source raised questions concerning the internal administration, financial accountability, membership structure and legal status of the organisation.
Among the issues raised were claims concerning the organisation's registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, the management of funds and the banking arrangements allegedly used in connection with the organisation.
The source also made serious allegations concerning Archbishop Kawas personally, including allegations of financial impropriety and conflicts of interest.
OneLife Media has not independently verified these allegations.
Consequently, this report does not present the accusations as established facts. The appropriate authorities and the organisation itself should provide documentary clarification where necessary.
The same standard applies to allegations concerning the turnout at the 2026 Synod. A claim that attendance was low because of alleged misconduct cannot responsibly be reported as fact without independent evidence.
The Peter Obi question
Another issue requiring clarification concerns the political history of Archbishop Kawas.
Publicly available reporting confirms that Kawas was associated with an inter-faith initiative that hosted an endorsement event involving Peter Obi during the 2023 election period. A December 2022 report identified Kawas as National Coordinator and Visioneer of the Nigeria Inter-Faith Alliance and reported an event involving Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
That historical record makes today's Tinubu endorsement particularly interesting.
But there is an important distinction between documented political activity and claims about why an individual took a particular political position.
OneLife Media has not found sufficient independent evidence to establish the claim that Kawas supported Obi because another individual allegedly gave him dollars.
That allegation should therefore not be presented as fact without documentary evidence or a direct, attributable source.
The SGF connection
Another point that deserves examination is the prominence of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, in Kawas's explanation of why CBCN changed its perception of the Tinubu administration.
Kawas himself cited Akume's appointment as a turning point in the organisation's assessment of the President.
This creates a legitimate public-interest question:
Should the appointment of Christians to political offices determine the Church's assessment of a government?
Or should the Church's primary measuring instruments be justice, security, economic welfare, accountability, constitutionalism, human dignity and the moral direction of government?
The answer matters because political appointments can change, but the Church's responsibility to truth should remain constant.
Who is a Christian in Nigerian politics?
The controversy raises an even deeper theological and political question.
If the Muslim-Muslim ticket was previously considered unacceptable because of religious representation, what precisely has changed?
Is religious balance now sufficient?
Does the appointment of Christian officials automatically make a government pro-Christian?
Can a Christian government official make a wrong policy?
Can a Muslim political leader make a policy that benefits Christians and Muslims alike?
And should the Church's political judgment ultimately be based on the faith of office-holders or the justice of their actions?
These are questions that deserve serious public discussion rather than partisan slogans.
The Church must not become a political department
The Church has a legitimate place in public affairs.
Christian leaders should speak on national development. They should advise presidents. They should advocate for citizens. They should participate in democratic processes.
But there is a line between engaging government and becoming politically captured by government.
The Church must retain the freedom to challenge the government it supports.
Otherwise, an endorsement risks becoming a political transaction rather than a prophetic declaration.
OneLife Media's position
OneLife Media does not question Archbishop Kawas's right to support President Tinubu.
Neither does the endorsement itself prove corruption, compromise or wrongdoing.
But the endorsement creates legitimate questions about consistency, transparency, accountability and the changing political position of Christian leadership in Nigeria.
The Church must be able to explain why its position changed.
It must be able to demonstrate that its political decisions are guided by principle rather than proximity to power.
And where allegations concerning the administration or finances of a religious organisation are raised, transparency—not intimidation—should be the answer.
Nigeria needs bishops who can pray with presidents but still correct presidents.
It needs religious leaders who can celebrate government achievements without becoming blind to government failures.
It needs a Church that can say yes when government is right and no when government is wrong.
The ultimate question is therefore not:
“Who has CBCN endorsed?”
The deeper question is:
“What does the Church stand for when political power changes hands?”
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