The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned political parties and their candidates to refrain from using religion, ethnicity, and regional sentiments to win votes in the 2027 general elections. CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, made the call in Abuja while unveiling activities to mark the association's 50th anniversary. He emphasized that Nigerians have witnessed enough bloodshed and division during election periods and urged political leaders to make the 2027 elections a contest of ideas rather than violence.
Okoh called on political leaders to take responsibility for the conduct of their supporters and discourage incitement, hate speech, violence, and intimidation. He stated that every Nigerian must be free to vote according to their conscience without coercion, intimidation, or manipulation. CAN will continue to support credible democratic processes, civic education, peaceful elections, and electoral integrity. The association's president also expressed concern over the country's persistent insecurity, citing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence as major challenges.
Okoh noted that the country's insecurity has inflicted enormous suffering on Nigerians, displacing communities, driving farmers from their farmlands, and attacking places of worship. He called for a security architecture that would prevent attacks rather than merely respond after they occur. The CAN president urged greater involvement of communities and civil society organizations in identifying emerging security threats. While acknowledging the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to reduce insecurity, Okoh said more needed to be done to improve the performance of the nation's security agencies.
The CAN president also sought to clarify CAN's position on the contentious issue of religious persecution. He stressed that defending Christians did not amount to hostility towards Muslims or opposition to government. Okoh emphasized that when a Christian is attacked because of their faith, CAN will speak, and similarly, when a Muslim is attacked because of their faith, they should speak. He cautioned against reducing every Nigerian conflict to a simplistic Christian-versus-Muslim narrative.
Okoh stated that conflicts in Nigeria could also involve ethnicity, land, political power, criminality, and competition over resources. On CAN's relationship with the Federal Government, Okoh said the association would neither serve as a government opposition party nor become a praise-singing organization. He stated that where government policies promote the welfare of Nigerians, CAN will support them, and where the government fails to protect citizens, they will say so.
The CAN president described the association's 50th anniversary as not merely a celebration of the past but a "re-commissioning" of CAN for the next 50 years. He noted that since its inception, CAN has continued to play a significant role in promoting Christian unity and addressing social, economic, political, and humanitarian concerns affecting Nigeria. Okoh said CAN would focus its next phase on strengthening Christian unity, interfaith engagement, humanitarian intervention, youth and women's participation, institutional governance, research, financial sustainability, and digital relevance.
The anniversary celebrations will feature various activities, including a road walk, an anniversary crusade, a football competition, an ecumenical workshop, a Bible quiz, a community responsibility project, a women and youth assembly, a colloquium, a music cantata, awards, and the launch of the history of CAN. The celebrations will conclude with a thanksgiving service on October 18. Okoh also expressed concern over the economic hardship confronting Nigerians, calling on the government to pursue policies that create employment, stimulate productive economic activity, support small businesses, and protect vulnerable Nigerians.
Key points
- CAN warns against electoral violence and urges political leaders to make the 2027 elections a contest of ideas rather than violence.
- The association calls for a security architecture that would prevent attacks rather than merely respond after they occur.
- CAN seeks to promote Christian unity, interfaith engagement, humanitarian intervention, and youth and women's participation in the next phase of its activities.
