Should Pastors Endorse Politicians? The Role of Christianity in Nigerian Politics

During Nigeria's 2023 presidential election, several prominent pastors publicly endorsed candidates from their pulpits. Some delivered prophecies about who would win. When the results came in, those prophecies conflicted, and most were wrong. This sparked a debate that's still dividing Nigerian Christians: Should pastors endorse politicians?

Why Religion Matters in Nigerian Politics

Nigeria is roughly 54% Christian and 46% Muslim, according to Afrobarometer surveys. With 25 to 30 million Catholics and church attendance at 94% (the highest in the world), religion plays a major role in how Nigerians vote.

The 2023 election intensified this when the All Progressives Congress (APC) nominated a Muslim Muslim ticket (Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima). The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called it "a threat to the fragile peace and unity of Nigeria" and promised to "mobilize politically against any political party that sows the seed of religious conflict." Churches nationwide responded, with many pastors choosing sides publicly.

Pastors Who Endorsed Candidates in 2023

Several major church leaders openly backed Peter Obi of the Labour Party:

• Apostle Johnson Suleman (Omega Fire Ministries) announced he and his family would vote for Obi
• Pastor Paul Enenche (Dunamis International Gospel Centre) declared Obi as his preferred candidate
• Pastor Chris Oyakhilome (Christ Embassy) suggested God revealed Obi would win
• Father Ejike Mbaka, the controversial Catholic priest in Enugu, has directed his followers' votes for years

The Prophecy Problem

Multiple pastors delivered conflicting prophecies about the election outcome, all claiming divine revelation. 

• Primate Elijah Ayodele prophesied Atiku Abubakar would win. 
• Oyakhilome hinted at Obi. 

When Tinubu won, these failed predictions damaged pastoral credibility. One Nigerian publication stated: "What is painful about the so-called prophecies is that the pastors or prophets claimed they heard from God or God told them. What they do not know is that God is not the author of confusion."

Pastors Who Became Politicians

Some Nigerian pastors moved from endorsing to becoming candidates themselves:

• Pastor Tunde Bakare ran as vice president with Buhari in 2011 and later declared, "I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria; nothing can change it"
• Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia won Benue State governorship in 2023 under APC with the slogan "Yes Father." His following was so strong that bottles of his branded holy water were common in Benue homes before the election
• Pastor Umo Eno (founder of All Nations Christian Ministry International) won Akwa Ibom State governorship for PDP
• Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria's former Vice President, remains a RCCG pastor and served as Pastor in Charge of Lagos Province 48 while in office

Arguments For Pastoral Political Involvement

• Prophetic Voice: Pastors have a biblical duty to speak truth to power and hold leaders accountable. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese represents this approach, he criticizes bad governance without endorsing specific candidates.

• Moral Guidance: When corruption and insecurity threaten the nation, pastors should guide members toward leaders with character. Samson Ayokunle, former CAN president and Baptist World Alliance vice president, stated: "I stand with my organization against the Muslim-Muslim ticket, in hope the citizens will elect God-fearing figures."

• Christian Citizenship: Encouraging Christians to register, vote, and participate in governance is spiritual duty. Joseph Offia of the Navigators Nigeria told researchers, "Pastors and churches have played a very significant role in voter education and mobilization."

Arguments Against Pastoral Political Endorsements

• Compromised Authority: When pastors endorse politicians, they lose their credibility as spiritual leaders. They start looking like political operatives instead. Research in the Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy points out that politicians deliberately court pastors to get votes. This creates a relationship where both sides need each other, and that need ends up corrupting both of them.

• Money Problem: One study pointed out that politicians who rigged elections still get invited to Pentecostal churches to give thanksgiving services for winning. The donations they bring often come from money they stole from the public, but pastors collect it without asking questions.    In 2024, the Anglican Church of Nigeria banned politicians from using church pulpits for political speeches. Their statement was direct: "The church is not a platform for promoting partisan views or political propaganda.” This followed FCT minister Nyesom Wike using a thanksgiving service at St. James Anglican Church to campaign for Tinubu.

• Church Division: Political endorsements split congregations down the middle. In 2023, different pastors backed different candidates. Members didn't know who to trust. Christians are spread across all the major parties, deeply divided among themselves.

• Failed Prophecies: The wrong predictions hurt how people saw their pastors. When different pastors all said God showed them who would win, but each one named a different person, it raised red flags. People started wondering if these men of God were just playing politics or making things up. It definitely didn't look like divine revelation.

The Church Debate Continues

Nigerian church leaders remain divided:

• The Anglican Church issued guidelines in 2025 that prohibit partisan campaigning. Politicians can attend services but cannot use turn services into rallies.

• Pastor Judah Olorunmaiye of Rhema Chapel International Ogbomoso argued the Nigerian church must reject money from "questionable sources": "You cannot use Satan's weapons to build God's kingdom."

• Pastor Tunde Bakare represents the activist position. Verbum et Ecclesia journal describes him as "the fiercest preacher against military dictatorship, anti-democratic activities, corruption, and human rights abuse in Nigeria." He uses his pulpit for direct political activism.

What the Bible Says

The Bible calls Christians to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14) and seek their city's welfare (Jeremiah 29:7). The question is how do we do this right?

• Appropriate pastoral leadership: Teaching biblical principles about justice, encouraging people to register and vote,praying for leaders regardless of party, and calling out corruption when they see it.

• Problematic involvement: Campaigning for specific candidates, turning the pulpit into a political stage, taking money that comes with strings attached, using "prophecies" as cover for political endorsements.

Impact on Nigerian Democracy

The 2023 election showed what happens when religion and politics mix this way:

Research published in Conflict, Security & Development found that the Muslim Muslim ticket "deepened a religious voting pattern during the elections and made Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria worse.”

Many voters chose based on religion rather than competence or policy.

While pastors mobilized Christians to register (Nigeria had 93.5 million registered voters), this happened along religious lines. One Christian leader told researchers: "The Nigerian church has suddenly woken up to the reality of a well laid Islamization agenda, and will certainly not vote for APC."

When pastors become partisan, they lose the ability to speak prophetically to all leaders. A truly prophetic voice must be independent enough to challenge any government that fails its people.

Conclusion

The 2023 elections revealed tensions between pastoral authority and political independence. 

The evidence is clear: direct political endorsements divide churches, money compromises moral authority, and failed prophecies destroy credibility. But pastors still have legitimate roles.They should teach civic responsibility and speak up about justice.

The way forward is simple. There's a difference between encouraging Christians to be good citizens and telling them exactly who to vote for. There's a difference betwe

en speaking truth to every leader and becoming a tool for one politician.