Don’t turn religious platforms into campaign grounds, Sultan, CAN warn

The co-chairmen of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, have warned against using religious platforms to for political and religious campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Sultan who spoke Wednesday at the 2026 Second Council Meeting of NIREC in Abuja, with the theme, “Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria,” urged Christian and Muslim leaders to avoid using sermons, prayers and religious gatherings to attack political leaders, promote division or make inflammatory comments about candidates and political office holders during the electioneering.

He also cautioned against turning religious gatherings into platforms for political campaigning, urging religious leaders to promote peace and responsible participation in the electoral process.

He emphasised the need for religious leaders to speak honestly with one another and avoid spreading false information after interfaith meetings, stressing that dialogue remained important to Nigeria’s stability and development.

“I don’t want you to tolerate me. Because if you tolerate me, there’s nothing you can do but tolerate me. But if you understand me, you can work with me; I can work with you, because we know who we are to each other,” he said.

The Sultan further called for a firm stance against corruption, urging religious leaders to support the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in prosecuting anyone found culpable, irrespective of religious or political status.

He warned against using proceeds of corruption to fund religious activities, including pilgrimages and other acts of worship, insisting that no one should be above the law.

Earlier, Okoh said religious institutions had a major responsibility to use their influence to promote peace, reconciliation and national unity.

The CAN president noted that Nigeria’s challenges, including insecurity, poverty, unemployment, inequality, communal tensions and declining public trust, required collective action beyond religious or sectional interests.

“As religious leaders, therefore, we must ask ourselves: What kind of Nigeria are we helping to create through our words, our actions, and our influence?” he said.

Okoh urged churches and mosques to use their platforms to build bridges rather than walls and promote reconciliation rather than suspicion.

Speaking at the meeting, the Sultan said religious leaders must be mindful of their utterances as campaigns for the 2027 elections begin.

“We are into the campaign for the 2027 elections. So, our religious leaders must be wary of what they say at the churches or mosques or any religious gathering,” the Sultan said.

He urged religious leaders and their followers to pray for the President, governors and members of the National Assembly (NASS), rather than praying for their downfall.

“No matter how bad you think they are, continue to pray. That prayer will make God touch their lives, and then they will change,” he said.

Also, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, Executive Secretary of NIREC, Prof. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, urged religious leaders to promote peace, accountability, reconciliation and national unity.

Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the meeting, Akume similarly urged religious and traditional leaders to promote peace and prevent political activities from becoming a source of religious or ethnic conflict.

“During the upcoming electioneering campaign, please issue the clear, unambiguous public message: that politics belongs in the ballot, not at the altar or mosque,” he said.

Akume stressed that politics should be conducted through democratic processes rather than religious platforms.

He also urged religious leaders to prevent political thugs from using places of worship as sanctuaries and encouraged Christians and Muslims to organise joint prayers and peace initiatives ahead of the elections.

Also speaking, Omonokhua called on Nigerians, particularly religious leaders, to reject corruption, hate speech and the weaponisation of religion for personal or political interests.

He said NIREC was established to promote dialogue, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.

Omonokhua urged Nigerians to respect freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and the dignity of every human being, regardless of faith or ethnic background.