African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the practice of religious leaders visiting the Presidential Villa to discuss national issues, arguing that they would wield greater moral authority by speaking directly to their congregations instead.
Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, Sowore reacted to the recent visit by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting came shortly after President Tinubu remarked that ‘all is fair in politics,’ a comment that generated public debate over the state of Nigeria’s political culture and governance.
While acknowledging the concerns raised by the bishops, Sowore said engaging the President behind closed doors diminishes the impact of the Church’s message and risks creating the impression of a political relationship between religious leaders and those in power.
‘I have a different view and my view is that I don’t think that bishops, archbishops and Muslim leaders should be going to the Villa,’ he said.
‘If they have issues with the President, let them step on the pulpit and speak to their congregation. That one carries more weight.’
According to him, public criticism delivered from churches and mosques would resonate more strongly with both political leaders and ordinary Nigerians than private meetings at the seat of government.
Sowore argued that visits to the Presidential Villa inevitably create perceptions of political accommodation, regardless of the issues discussed.
‘This going to the Villa and back is what Nigerians call ‘see finish’. To go to the Villa has its own connotations. It’s either you have asked to see the President or the President has asked to see you. It’s a transactional, two-way traffic,’ he said.
The presidential candidate suggested that religious leaders should preserve their independence by maintaining a visible distance from political officeholders, particularly when seeking to hold governments accountable.
Drawing from his personal experience, Sowore recounted an encounter involving President Tinubu and Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah during activities organised by the National Peace Committee ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, he was seated beside Tinubu when Kukah was introduced at the event.
‘I was sitting beside Tinubu during the Presidential Peace Committee and they introduced Rev. Fr. Hassan Kukah and Tinubu was just talking at my side, ‘This Kukah. He don come again.’ And he was just soliloquising and saying things I can’t say on TV,’ Sowore said.
He noted that Kukah now serves in an appointment under the Tinubu administration, arguing that such developments reinforce public perceptions that political and religious elites are closely connected.
‘Today, Kukah is an appointee of Tinubu. The bottom line is that they also know themselves. They are part of the general elite,’ he said.
Sowore maintained that faith leaders would have greater influence if they consistently challenged governments from their pulpits rather than through meetings with political leaders.
‘I would have preferred if the Catholic bishops use their pulpits to tell truth to power. It’s more effective,’ he said.
According to him, sermons delivered across churches and mosques could exert significant public pressure on elected officials, especially when they reflect the concerns of millions of worshippers.
‘If the President is hearing that the Catholic bishops in the South-East are telling people that the government is bad, it carries more weight,’ he argued.
To reinforce his point, Sowore cited an example involving the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
‘Just a five-minute protest by Adeboye under Buhari caused more problem than Adeboye going to visit them,’ he said.
Sowore noted that religious institutions remain among Nigeria’s most influential moral voices and should deploy that influence publicly to demand accountability, justice and better governance rather than relying on engagements behind the walls of the Presidential Villa.