CBCN Endorses Tinubu For 2027, As Information Minister Urges Church To Champion Peace

The Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.

The endorsement was made on Wednesday by the President General of CBCN, Archbishop Prof. Leonard Bature Kawas, at the grand finale of the 2026 Synod of the CBCN and International Communion of Charismatic Archbishops, Bishops and Apostles (ICCABA) in Abuja.

Kawas said the Church had assessed the Tinubu administration’s policies and was prepared to support the President through prayers, advocacy and public engagement.

“We support him now. We support him today, we support him tomorrow, and we support him for as long as he’s willing to be our president,” he said.

He added: “This house has endorsed him for 2027 presidency.”

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, 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 Nigeria’s diversity required responsible leadership across all sectors, stressing that national unity could not be left to government alone.

“Keeping this country united requires more than government action. It requires responsible leadership across society, including religious leadership,” the minister said.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to religious freedom and cautioned against framing Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious war.

According to him, terrorists and criminal groups have attacked Nigerians across different faiths and backgrounds.

Idris said the administration had strengthened intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, military operations and the wider national security architecture.

He said about 1,000 terrorist elements, including dozens of their leaders, were eliminated in the first quarter of 2026, while security agencies also rescued 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara states in August.

The minister urged religious leaders to strengthen social cohesion, discourage radicalisation and criminality among young people, support community early-warning mechanisms and promote dialogue.

“No election should be allowed to turn Christian against Muslim, Muslim against Christian, North against South, or one ethnic group against another. Nigeria belongs to all of us,” he said.

Idris also urged churches to ensure that their pulpits remained platforms for truth, peace and responsible citizenship rather than incitement and division.

On the economy, the minister said the Federal Government was implementing reforms while expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through programmes including NELFUND, 3MTT, NYIF, NATEP, SVCG, SUPA and iDICE.

“Nigeria’s greatest resource is not only what lies beneath our soil. It is also the talent and ability of our people,” Idris said.

Representing President Tinubu at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, commended the Church for its prayers, humanitarian interventions and contributions to peace and national cohesion.

Akume acknowledged the sacrifices Nigerians had made amid the ongoing economic reforms, assuring citizens that the government remained focused on improving household incomes, reducing hardship and ensuring that the benefits of the reforms were increasingly felt nationwide.

“We commend our citizens for their patriotism and resilience, and assure them that it will never be in vain, as promised by Mr. President himself,” he said.

The SGF called for stronger collaboration between government and the Church in tackling security and development challenges, particularly in youth empowerment, education, peacebuilding, civic responsibility and humanitarian services.

“Government needs the moral reach of the Church, and the Church needs an enabling civic environment to thrive. Above all, Nigeria needs us to work together for the common good,” Akume said.