The Charismatic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has broken its silence on why it abandoned its 2023 support for Peter Obi to now back President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, with the group’s leader insisting the decision was guided by conviction, not convenience.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Bishop Leonard Kawas, who heads the conference, revealed that he personally voted for Obi in the 2023 presidential election, brushing aside suggestions that political expediency had shaped his choice at the time.
“In 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was contesting against Peter Obi, but I chose Peter Obi. If it was for convenience, I would have chosen Tinubu, but I did not in 2023. It is my fundamental human right,” Kawas said.
The cleric explained that his group’s new alignment with Tinubu stems from a reassessment of the president’s performance and what he described as spiritual conviction.
“Based on the issues on the ground and the leading of the Spirit, I and my group are supporting President Tinubu for 2027 because we believe he is on the right course. He will definitely take Nigeria to very high heights in all ramifications,” he added.
The endorsement has stirred fresh political debate, with the Charismatic Bishops’ Conference becoming a talking point across Nigeria’s political circles following its public declaration of support for the president’s second-term ambition.
Tinubu is expected to face a crowded field in the race for Aso Rock, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), among other contenders, when Nigerians go to the polls on January 16, 2027.
Comments