Don’t Weaponise Religion, Ethnicity, CAN Warns Political Parties Ahead 2027 ElectionsKuni Tyessi in Abuja

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has warned political parties and candidates against exploiting religion, ethnicity and regional sentiments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Okoh gave the warning in Abuja yesterday while delivering a press statement to mark CAN’s 50th anniversary, themed ‘Walking Together in Faith: Celebrating 50 Years of CAN’s Journey’.

He said political leaders must not allow electoral competition to deepen divisions or expose young Nigerians to violence.

“Political parties and candidates must resist the temptation to weaponise religion, ethnicity and regional sentiments,” Okoh said.

According to him, Nigerians have witnessed enough bloodshed during election periods and the 2027 polls must be a contest of ideas and policies, not violence, intimidation and hate speech.

“Elections should be a contest of ideas, not a contest of violence; a competition for public service, not a licence for personal destruction,” he said, urging leaders to take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters.

Okoh said every Nigerian must be free to vote according to conscience without coercion or manipulation.

The CAN President also cautioned against reducing every crisis in Nigeria to a Christian-versus-Muslim confrontation, noting that conflicts have multiple dimensions including ethnicity, land disputes, political power, criminality and resource competition.

While reaffirming that CAN will continue to speak when Christians are attacked or discriminated against, he said defending Christians does not mean hostility toward other faiths.

“Defending Christians does not mean fighting government. It does not mean hating Muslims or any other religious community,” he said.

“When a Christian is attacked because of his faith, we will speak. When a Muslim is attacked because of his faith, we should speak. When an innocent Nigerian is killed by terrorists, bandits or criminals, we must all speak.”

He stressed that no Nigerian should be treated as a second-class citizen on account of faith, ethnicity, state of origin or political affiliation, and called for protection of constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equal citizenship.

On security, Okoh renewed CAN’s call for strengthening of the nation’s security architecture, describing insecurity as one of Nigeria’s most destructive challenges, citing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and farmer-herder conflicts.

“Early warning must lead to early response,” he said, urging closer collaboration between government, communities and civil society.

He acknowledged efforts by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to tackle insecurity but said more needed to be done to improve performance of security agencies. “Every Nigerian is looking forward to seeing the end of killings in this nation,” he said.

Okoh said CAN’s relationship with the government will remain principled, not political.

“CAN is neither a government opposition party nor a government praise-singing organisation. We are a Christian institution with a national responsibility. Our loyalty to truth cannot be compromised or subordinated to political proximity,” he said.

On the economy, he expressed concern over rising cost of living, unemployment and hardship faced by small businesses, urging policies that stimulate productive activity, create jobs and protect vulnerable Nigerians.

“Economic reform cannot become an abstract exercise divorced from the realities of ordinary families,” he said.

Reflecting on CAN’s 50-year journey, Okoh recalled that the association was established on August 27, 1976, after church leaders were invited by the Federal Military Government under General Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss introduction of the National Pledge and flag salutation in schools. The leaders later met at the Catholic Secretariat in Lagos, laying the foundation for CAN.

Looking ahead, he said CAN will deepen Christian unity, strengthen interfaith engagement through the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, expand humanitarian work in healthcare, education, poverty reduction and climate change, and create more space for youth and women in leadership.

He described the 50th anniversary as a “re-commissioning” rather than retirement, with activities lined up to include a road walk on October 3, anniversary crusade on October 4, football competition from October 7-9, national ecumenical workshop on October 10, Bible quiz and community project on October 13, women and youth assembly on October 14, jubilee colloquium on October 15, music cantata on October 16, and awards and book launch on October 17.