The Christian Association of Nigeria has cautioned politicians and their supporters against invoking the name of Jesus Christ to promote partisan political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, gave the warning in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to recent comments by Precious Oruche, popularly known as Mama Pee, in which she referenced Jesus Christ while making a political argument involving former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and the 2027 elections.
Okoh said although political discussions could be intense and passionate, Christians must exercise restraint and reverence when referring to the name of Christ during political debates.
He warned against turning Jesus into a political instrument or using His name to promote one politician against another.
Okoh said, “I believe this is an appropriate moment to remind all of us, especially Christians, to exercise restraint in the way we invoke the name of Jesus Christ in political debates.
Jesus Christ is not a political candidate, a campaign slogan or a weapon to advance one politician against another. His name is sacred and should not be dragged into partisan contests in ways that elevate human beings, however popular or admired, to a place that belongs to God alone.”
The CAN president stressed that Nigerians remained free to support or criticise any political candidate, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu, but warned that political loyalty should not undermine reverence for Christ.
He urged politicians and their supporters to base their campaigns and political arguments on issues such as competence, character, policies, performance and their vision for Nigeria, rather than religiously charged partisan rhetoric.
“Let us argue about competence, character, policies, performance and the future of Nigeria. Let us disagree passionately if necessary, but let us leave Jesus Christ out of our partisan quarrels,” he said.
