Why clerics must be apolitical in 2027

…Pastors should not use their pulpits to mock politicians, political parties – Bishop Ighele

…Being a pastor and politician can’t run concurrently – Rev. Popoola

The 2023 general election brought a bad name to Christendom. The Moslem-Moslem ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) sharply divided the Church as leaders queued according to their interest.

Since after the election and now the of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that scar has remained on the Church leadership.

Some Church leaders who used to be outspoken have become almost dumb. They no longer speak on the side of the people.

But as the 2027 poll is approaching, many observers have maintained that the leadership of the Church should do well to remain silent and be apolitical in order to save whatever that remains of the integrity of the Church in Nigeria.

This is on the back of the sharp division that characterised the outcome of the 2023 presidential election that presented the Church leadership in different camps long after the winners and losers of the said election emerged.

Observers say it will do the Church well if its leadership can maintain a neutral position and not drag the Nigerian Christians further into political division, which tend to portray the Church, and by extension Christians, as anti-government.

“The right ‘to vote and be voted for’ is an inalienable right of every citizen in Nigeria as a democratic society,” Olufemi Popoola, a Nigerian cleric based in The Netherlands, told BusinessDay, adding that this right does not exclude pastors because they are part of the citizenry.

The involvement of clerics in active politics is interrelated to the subject of the affiliation between the Church and the state. However, many Christians have lived and embraced the doctrinal teachings that portray politics as a dirty game.

Hence, professing Christians have stayed away from active politics to sustain and maintain their personal integrity outside the political sphere. But a new generation of Nigerian Christians has campaigned against the earlier doctrinal teachings that tend to present politics as a ‘dirty game’ arguing that it is the politicians that made politics dirty.

Their argument is supported by the fact that having people of scriptural integrity, transparency, and pragmatic education in politics, is partly what the Church itself represents as a body that promotes the common good of the people of faith to stimulate progress in all areas of personal and national life- economic, social, legal, educational and civic.

Politics is about who gets what at whose expense; and having Christians (pastors or not) involved in politics is about the test of their capacity to control state’s machinery on the back of their ability to manage state resources and bring about holistic development to the society.

However, the Church has over the years repeatedly exempted herself from partaking in governance of the state while it is abandoned to reckless people who have caused so much harm to the polity of the country.

“Pastors as Nigerian citizens are qualified to vote and also to occupy any political office including the office of the President. However, some issues need to be clarified in contemporary Nigerian society,” Femi Popoola, a Nigerian cleric based in The Nederland, told BusinessDay.

According to him, it has become common to see some so-called pastors use the pulpit to declare their political ambition, saying with the ‘God expressly told me’ syndrome. He added that if a pastor is interested in politics, he is free to do so without necessarily hiding behind the cloak of a personal prophetic voice.

“Biblically, pastors are specially called to preach God’s word by reproving, rebuking, and exhorting (2 Tim. 2:2). This is what the pulpit is meant for. The pulpit is not a platform for declaring political ambition or aspiration,” he said.

Popoola said that the ideal thing for any pastor who wants to venture into politics is to vacate the pulpit so as to be able to pursue his political ambition or aspiration, without dragging the Church into disrepute.

“Being a pastor and at the same time, venturing into politics cannot run concurrently from the biblical perspective. This line of demarcation has to be clearly drawn. It is the more reason while Nigerian politicians have always made it a practice once it is time of elections to be attending church services, conventions and camp meetings so they can use the pulpit platform to subtly project their political interest,” Popoola said.

According to him, pastors are not to use their pulpits to entertain any political activities for any reason because that is not what the pulpit is meant for. He added that the pulpit is not to be used to promote any political party or an individual personality.

“As the 2027 election is fast approaching, those who are truly called of God need to focus on teaching their members what accords to godliness, righteousness, truth, integrity, service and patriotism.

“Pastors are to be apolitical. Pastors are not called to prophesy about who will win elections or who will not. Pastors are called to call both political actors and electorates to serious accountability. And if a pastor has a conviction to go into politics, he should not mix political activities with his pastoral office,” he said.

Charles Ighele, presiding bishop and general superintendent, Holy Spirit Mission (The Happy Family Nation), told BusinessDay that pastors should be involved in educating their fellow worshippers on making the best political decisions during elections.

According to him, pastors have the responsibility to wisely educate and inform their followers on national matters during non-electioneering periods.

“Personally, I do not think that pastors should be apolitical. Pastors should not be apolitical at all unless that particular pastor chooses to live his or her life that way.

“But generally, my advice is that pastors should not use their pulpits to mock politicians and political parties they do not like. When they do so, they end up dragging themselves into the unrespectful waters of politics. Pastors should not use their pulpits to drag the Church into political pits,” Ighele said.

Need for neutrality

Joseph Ojo, founder, Calvary Kingdom Church (CKC), said it was near impossible to expect pastors to be completely neutral when it comes to politics. According to him, it will take real grace for the smallest and biggest of pastors to stay neutral in an election circle.

Ojo said pastors and other religious leaders have a responsibility of educating their followers on voting patterns based on current realities and political trajectory of the country, because politicians will naturally approach the electorates with coated tongues to convince people that they are going to do better.

“For me, what I would tell my members is they should not only vote according to their conscience this time, they should vote with their sight and their experience. What they have experienced and they are experiencing and what they are seeing and they will still see will determine who or which party they vote for,” Ojo said.

According to him, the country’s current socio-economic reality is enough to teach the electorates how to pattern their votes without any influence from a pastor or Church leader. He however, added that pastors cannot afford to be partisan, but should think about what will help not only themselves, the next generation and the future of the country.

“I don’t believe or belong to any political party. I pray that God will give us people that have the heart for the masses, not themselves. They should vote for people that have a heart for the masses,” Ojo said.

Emmanuel Udofia, former primate, African Church, said pastors are also like every other member of the voting public. According to him, there is no guarantee that any pastor will be 100 percent neutral in an election circle.

Udofia added that pastors must show concern in governance and not just be concerned about preaching the gospel. He disclosed that if pastors decide to stay aloof and not show interest in how or who govern them – they will have to live by whatever decision taken on their behalf.

According to him, using the Church platform for partisan politics might bring division and confusion into the church. “So, I don’t think it’s good to use the pulpit because in the Church there are many candidates who may belong to different political platforms, from different parties,” Udofia said, adding that the pulpit can only be leveraged to teach people how to conduct themselves during elections.

He also urged Nigerians, Christians and non-Christians to view politics from a gamesmanship standpoint, saying that not winning in an election circle does not mean the candidate cannot win in another election circle.

“There are several ways to win, and the way to win should not be something that will create pressure for others because everybody will not become a president, everybody will not become a senator at the same time.

“So, those who are not privileged to become what they should become at that particular time should be patient,” Udofia said.