BY AHMED AKANBI
The Arewa Think Tank (ATT) has accused the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) of politicising religion with its call urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to seek re-election in 2027.
The Convener of ATT, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, who made the accusation in a statement signed weekend in Abuja, said no religious organisation or pressure group has the constitutional authority to determine who should contest or win a presidential election.
“Only Nigerians have the constitutional right to determine who becomes president through the ballot box,” Yakubu stated, maintaining that if President Tinubu decides to seek a second term and secures the support of Nigerians, no amount of religious or political pressure would stop his re-election.
Yakubu accused the Christian elders of using the country’s current challenges as a platform for partisan political engagement.
“If they intend to support any candidate, they should openly declare their political preferences instead of hiding under religion,” he said.
The ATT convener also advised religious leaders to refrain from actions capable of inflaming political and religious tensions, saying “the pulpit should not be turned into a platform for partisan campaigns.“
Yakubu argued that the Tinubu administration should be judged within the context of structural challenges inherited over decades, noting that deficits in infrastructure, social services and economic management cannot be fixed in a few years.
He said the Federal Government had embarked on critical reforms in the economy, infrastructure, agriculture, oil sector, public finance and social intervention programmes aimed at laying a foundation for long-term recovery.
The ATT further commended government’s engagement with religious organisations, citing support for faith-based bodies, improved coordination of pilgrimages and peacebuilding initiatives.
Yakubu referenced comments by former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who argued that many of Nigeria’s current economic problems stem from decades of unsustainable policies and require difficult but necessary reforms.
The statement was in response to Friday’s communiqué by NCEF signed by its Chairman, Dr. Samuel Danjuma Gani, which urged Tinubu not to seek a second term and renewed opposition to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
But Yakubu insisted that democracy thrives on the free choice of the people.
“The choice of Nigeria’s next president must remain the exclusive preserve of voters, not the dictates of religious organisations,” he said.