The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned politicians and their supporters against invoking the name of Jesus Christ in partisan political arguments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, issued the warning in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to recent comments by Precious Oruche, popularly known as Mama Pee, in which she invoked Jesus while making a political point about the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.
Okoh said although political discussions could be passionate, Christians must exercise restraint in the way they invoke the name of Jesus Christ during political debates.
“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,” he said.
The cleric stressed that Jesus Christ was “not a political candidate, a campaign slogan or a weapon to advance one politician against another.”
He described the name of Jesus as sacred, warning that it should not be dragged into partisan contests in ways that elevate politicians to a position reserved for God.
Okoh said Nigerians were free to support or criticise political figures, including Obi, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu, but political loyalty should not diminish the reverence due to Christ.
“We are free to support Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu or any other candidate. We are equally free to criticise them.
“But our political loyalty must never become so intense that we begin to speak of politicians in terms that diminish the reverence due to Christ,” he said.
The CAN president urged Nigerians to focus political debates on issues including competence, character, policies, performance and the future of the country.
“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.
He also warned against treating politicians as messiahs or attaching spiritual significance to electoral contests.
“No politician is the Messiah. No political party represents the salvation of the human spirit that Christ epitomises. And no electoral victory is worth compromising the honour due to His name,” Okoh stated.
He urged politicians, their supporters and other Nigerians to conduct political discussions responsibly and respectfully as the country approaches the 2027 elections.
“As we approach another crucial electoral season, I urge politicians, their supporters and all Nigerians to conduct our political conversations with responsibility, restraint and respect for what we hold sacred,” he said.
Oruche had recently sparked controversy after saying in a comment that Obi could likely defeat Jesus if the latter contested an election in Nigeria because of Obi’s popularity.
Her comment was made in response to social media commentator Emmanuel “Geh Geh” Obruste, who had argued that Obi could not defeat Tinubu in a free and fair election.
Oruche maintained that Obi was popular enough to defeat any politician and used Jesus as an example to illustrate her point.
She later denied blaspheming against Jesus, claiming that the viral video had been edited and taken out of context.
The post 2027: CAN Warns Against Dragging Jesus Into Politics appeared first on OsunDefender.
