Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas Questions Criticism Over His Decision to Support Tinubu
Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas, President-General of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), has questioned the criticism directed at him following his decision to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election.
Kawas argued that his previous political choices did not lead to his credibility as a clergyman being questioned, even though he had supported different political figures at different times.
“I supported Yar’Adua, and I was not called a fake Bishop. I supported Obasanjo, and I was not called a fake Bishop. I supported Atiku, and I was not called a fake Bishop. I supported Peter Obi, and I was not called a fake Bishop,” he said.
He then posed the question that has become central to the controversy:
“Is it now, that I have prayed and God has led me to Tinubu, that I suddenly become fake?”
The remarks come against the backdrop of CBCN’s recent endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election. Kawas announced the decision during the conference’s 2026 Synod in Abuja, saying the organisation had assessed the administration and was prepared to support the President through prayers, advocacy and public engagement.
According to reports, the bishops cited issues including Tinubu’s appointments, religious diversity, national unity and the administration’s handling of insecurity as factors behind their decision. Kawas also argued that the President had demonstrated inclusiveness despite the controversy surrounding the Muslim-Muslim ticket with which the APC contested the 2023 election.
The development has inevitably revived questions about the role of religious leaders in Nigerian politics. Clergymen, like other citizens, can have political opinions and support candidates they believe are capable of providing the leadership the country needs. However, because of their religious influence, their political endorsements often attract significantly greater scrutiny.
Kawas’ argument is therefore straightforward: political disagreement should not automatically translate into an attack on a person's religious identity or professional legitimacy.
The 2023 presidential election itself demonstrated how deeply divided political preferences were across Nigeria. The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726 votes, ahead of Atiku Abubakar with 6,984,520 and Peter Obi with 6,101,533 votes.
That political history also provides context for Kawas’ question. If a bishop could support Yar’Adua, Obasanjo, Atiku or Peter Obi without automatically being dismissed as a “fake bishop,” why should supporting Tinubu suddenly become evidence of religious fraud or hypocrisy?
At the heart of the argument is a broader democratic principle: should a person's credibility depend on which political candidate they support?
Supporters of Kawas may see his position as evidence that a clergyman can reconsider his political judgment based on changing circumstances, policies and personal convictions. Critics, on the other hand, remain entitled to question whether religious leaders should openly endorse political candidates and whether such endorsements are consistent with their previous positions.
But disagreement is not the same thing as disqualification.
The real issue, therefore, may not be whether Archbishop Kawas has changed his political preference. It is whether Nigerians are prepared to judge political endorsements by the reasons behind them rather than simply by the identity of the politician being endorsed.
For Kawas, the answer appears clear: he supported different candidates in the past, and his religious credentials were not questioned merely because of those choices.
Now that he says his prayers and convictions have led him to support Tinubu, he is asking why the standard suddenly appears to have changed.
In a democracy, political loyalty can change. The bigger question is whether changing one's political choice should also change how one's faith, integrity and credibility are judged.
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