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The Convener of the Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, has strongly criticised the call by the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to abandon any plan to seek re-election in 2027, insisting that no religious organisation has the authority to determine who Nigerians should elect.
Yakubu, in a statement on Saturday, described the NCEF’s position as an attempt to politicise religion and intimidate the President, maintaining that only the Nigerian electorate has the constitutional right to decide who occupies the nation’s highest office.
“No religious group can pressure, determine or dictate what Nigerians want. No pressure group can intimidate Mr President out of contesting the 2027 presidential election. If it is God’s will and Nigerians decide to re-elect President Tinubu, no amount of religious or political pressure can stop that,” he said.
He added that, “If these clerics are campaigning for a particular candidate, they should come out openly and say so. They shouldn’t hide under the state of the nation to campaign for anybody because they will lose their respect and integrity.”
The Arewa Think Tank convener urged religious leaders to avoid actions capable of inflaming political and religious tensions, stressing that the pulpit should not be converted into a political platform.
“Our respected clerics should not derobe themselves of the honour and respect they command by playing to the gallery and unnecessarily heating up the political atmosphere. If anyone wishes to actively participate in partisan politics, they should take off the clerical robe and join politics openly. Constructive advice is more effective when offered privately rather than through public political campaigns,” Yakubu stated.
He argued that assessing the Tinubu administration requires an appreciation of the enormous structural challenges inherited over several decades.
“Fifty years of accumulated neglect cannot be reversed within three years. Nigerians must appreciate the realities confronting the government. Our population has grown far faster than our infrastructure, social services and available resources. Development cannot keep pace overnight with such rapid population growth,” he added.
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Yakubu said that despite these constraints, the Tinubu administration has embarked on critical economic reforms and laid the foundation for long-term national recovery.
He cited the ongoing implementation of economic reforms, renewed infrastructure investments, increased attention to agriculture, improvements in revenue generation, reforms in the oil sector, efforts to stabilise public finances, expansion of social intervention programmes and renewed investments aimed at stimulating economic growth as evidence that the administration is addressing long-standing structural challenges.
He also noted that the Tinubu administration has taken steps to strengthen engagement with religious bodies across the country, including support for faith-based organisations, facilitation of pilgrimages through improved coordination with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), as well as continued collaboration with religious leaders on peacebuilding, social welfare initiatives and community development programmes. According to him, these efforts reflect the President’s recognition of the important role religious institutions play in national cohesion.
The Arewa Think Tank also referenced recent remarks by former Emir of Kano and renowned economist, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who has consistently argued that many of Nigeria’s current economic hardships stem from decades of unsustainable policies and that difficult but necessary reforms are required to restore long-term economic stability.
According to Yakubu, such expert opinions reinforce the need for patience as the benefits of ongoing reforms gradually materialise.
The statement was in response to Friday’s communiqué issued by the National Christian Elders Forum, signed by its Chairman, Dr Samuel Danjuma Gani, in which the group called on President Tinubu not to seek a second term in 2027. The forum also renewed its opposition to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, alleging that the administration had failed in the areas of security, economic management and citizens’ welfare.
However, Yakubu insisted that democratic choices must remain in the hands of Nigerians rather than religious organisations.
“The decision on who becomes President in 2027 belongs to Nigerians through the ballot box, not to any religious body. Democracy thrives on the free choice of the people, and no group should arrogate to itself the power to determine the political future of the country,” he said.
