No religious group can decide Tinubu’s re-election bid —Arewa Think Tank

The Arewa Think Tank has criticised the call by the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) urging President Bola Tinubu to abandon any plan to seek re-election in 2027.

The group, in a statement signed and made available to newsmen in Kaduna by its convener, Muhammad Alhàji Yakubu, insisted that “no religious organisation has the authority to determine who Nigerians should elect.”

It described the NCEF’s remarks as an attempt to politicise religion and intimidate the President, maintaining that only the Nigerian electorate has the constitutional right to decide who occupies the nation’s highest office.

“No religious group can pressure, determine or dictate what Nigerians want. No pressure group can intimidate Mr President out of contesting the 2027 presidential election. If it is God’s will and Nigerians decide to re-elect President Tinubu, no amount of religious or political pressure can stop that.

“If these clerics are campaigning for a particular candidate, they should come out openly and say so, they shouldn’t hide under the state of the nation to campaign for anybody because they will lose their respect and integrity,” the group said.

The Arewa Think Tank urged religious leaders to avoid actions capable of inflaming political and religious tensions, stressing that the pulpit should not be converted into a political platform.

READ ALSO: 2027: Jonathan, opposition can’t stop Tinubu’s re-election — Namadi

“If anyone wishes to actively participate in partisan politics, they should take off the clerical robe and join politics openly. Constructive advice is more effective when offered privately rather than through public political campaigns,” the group stated.

The convenor argued that assessing the Tinubu administration requires an appreciation of the enormous structural challenges inherited over several decades.

He said despite these constraints, the Tinubu administration has embarked on critical economic reforms and laid the foundation for long-term national recovery.

According to him, these efforts reflect the President’s recognition of the important role religious institutions play in national cohesion.