Anambra State-born Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq., has cautioned religious leaders against the weaponisation of ethnicity and religion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who holds the chieftaincy title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi, gave the warning in his Weekend Musings, titled “The Auction of Ecclesiastical Imprimatur: A Disturbing Show of Shame and the Urgent Need to Quarantine Religious Authority from the 2027 Electioneering Campaigns.”
According to him, 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 this is precisely where caution becomes imperative ahead of the 2027 general election.
“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. To introduce religious endorsement into the political marketplace, therefore, is to play with a combustible instrument in an already fragile environment.
“I therefore respectfully urge Nigerians, and particularly those who profess the Christian faith, to do better in strengthening rather than weakening our democratic institutions.”
According to Ejiofor, Chief Nduka Obaigben, CEO of Arisnews, only a fortnight ago, in his characteristically elitist but profoundly sensible counsel, admonished politicians, particularly presidential aspirants, to embrace issues-based campaigns and jettison the dangerous temptation of religious-based politicking.
He added that the admonition was not only profound but also eminently timely, especially in a country where the combustible intersection of religion and politics has, on several occasions, produced consequences far more destructive than the political actors who deploy it often appreciate.
He regretted that, unfortunately, scarcely had the echoes of that counsel subsided when Nigerians witnessed what could only be described as a rather curious theatrical deployment of ecclesiastical authority.
- NCAA -
He queried: What happens to the moral authority of the Church when ecclesiastical imprimatur becomes available for partisan political endorsement?
According to him, the Church occupies a unique moral space in society, and its authority is not derived from political office, governmental patronage, party structures or electoral arithmetic.
He said the influence of the Church flows principally from the confidence reposed in it as a moral and spiritual institution.
According to Ejiofor, the authority of the Church is therefore too sacred to be converted into an electoral campaign accessory.
The statement reads in part:
“Some people under the umbrella of the ‘Charismatics Bishops of Nigeria’—a nomenclature which, I must confess, some of us may be encountering for the first time—assembled in Abuja, apparently in carefully coordinated episcopal regalia, including their womenfolk, and, under the superintendence and presence of highly placed governmental officials, proceeded to make far-reaching political pronouncements concerning their preferred presidential candidate.
“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 or her political preference.
“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, particularly at a time when the formal electioneering campaign has not even commenced.
“Indeed, throughout the considerable period during which the event was beamed live, I struggled to discern any substantive ecclesiastical agenda beyond the apparent objective of adopting and publicly endorsing the APC presidential candidate for the 2027 election, accompanied by glowing commendations of the present administration and its achievements.
“Again, I do not quarrel with their assessment of the government. They are entitled to their opinions, just as every other Nigerian is entitled to disagree with them.
“But there is a fundamental distinction between a Christian citizen exercising his civic franchise and an ecclesiastical institution, or persons parading the authority of the episcopate, deploying the sacred imprimatur of the Church in the service of partisan political mobilisation.
“That distinction ought not to be blurred.
“On a closer examination of the event, I observed that I did not sight at the gathering any properly ordained bishops from the established and widely recognised ecclesiastical traditions.
“Someone even told me that he witnessed the distribution of the episcopal regalia somewhere in Abuja preparatory to the event. I initially doubted him, principally because I did not witness such an occurrence myself.
But given what subsequently unfolded, one might be forgiven for wondering whether episcopacy has now acquired a rather convenient ‘event-based’ dimension—appearing whenever the political weather becomes sufficiently favourable.
“Perhaps I should commend one thing without reservation: the tailor evidently understood his assignment.
The regalia appeared to have received an impressive finishing. A friend of mine, immediately after the event, jokingly informed me that he had already resolved to have his own episcopal attire prepared in anticipation of any future gathering of this nature.
After all, he proudly described himself as an ordained bishop and representative of the Eastern Province of the Fishers of Souls Ministry.
“I did not hesitate to approve of such an enterprising initiative.
“But beneath the humour lies a serious and deeply troubling question.
“What happens to the moral authority of the Church when ecclesiastical imprimatur becomes available for partisan political endorsement?
“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.
“That authority is therefore too sacred to be converted into an electoral campaign accessory.
“There is nothing inherently wrong with a bishop, pastor, priest or Christian leader having political preferences. Indeed, clergy are citizens before they are 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. This is precisely where caution becomes imperative.
“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. To introduce religious endorsement into the political marketplace, therefore, is to play with a combustible instrument in an already fragile environment.
“I therefore respectfully urge Nigerians, and particularly those who profess the Christian faith, to do better in strengthening rather than weakening our democratic institutions.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
