By TheDailyNewsHub
The Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office, declaring its support for his re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement was announced on Wednesday, September 9, during the grand finale of the CBCN’s 2026 Synod and the International Communion of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles (ICCABA) in Abuja. The event was attended by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
President-General of the CBCN, Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas, said the decision followed the conference’s assessment of the Tinubu administration, particularly its appointments and what he described as efforts to maintain religious balance in government.
Kawas recalled that the conference had initially expressed concerns over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket on which Tinubu contested the 2023 election. He said those concerns eased after the President appointed Christians to prominent government positions.
He specifically cited the appointment of George Akume, a Christian, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Nyesom Wike as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Kawas, the appointments convinced the bishops that Tinubu had taken steps to address concerns about religious representation.
“When we have sat back and examined the way you balanced the religious imbalance that has existed for long, President Bola Tinubu came and balanced our diversity so very well,” Kawas said.
He also pointed to the emergence of Nentawe Yilwatda as national chairman of the All Progressives Congress and what he described as the President’s support for Christian candidates who became governors.
The CBCN president-general said the bishops would continue to support Tinubu through prayers and advocacy, particularly in relation to programmes they believe could contribute to Nigeria’s development.
“We are here today to reassure him of our solid support. We are standing with him in prayers and advocacy for the good programmes he has brought forth for the liberation of Nigeria,” Kawas said.
He subsequently made the group’s position on the 2027 election explicit.
“So, it is safe to say that this house has endorsed him for the 2027 presidency. Let him go ahead,” he said.
The endorsement places the CBCN among religious and civil society groups that have publicly taken positions on the 2027 presidential contest, which is already attracting increasing political attention more than a year before the election.
Speaking at the same event, Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris urged church leaders to use their influence to promote peace, national unity, responsible citizenship and peaceful democratic participation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Idris said maintaining Nigeria’s unity required responsible leadership across society, including religious institutions. He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting religious freedom and urged Nigerians not to portray the country’s security challenges as a religious war.
The CBCN’s endorsement is a political position of the organisation and does not represent the position of all Christian denominations or churches in Nigeria. Other Christian leaders and religious bodies have expressed differing views on the Tinubu administration and the 2027 election.
With political activity gradually intensifying ahead of the 2027 polls, the endorsement is likely to add to the growing debate over the role of religious organisations in Nigeria’s electoral politics.