By Shina Abubakar
As the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections, the Catholic Church has declared December 8 as national day for prayer and fasting for the successful and peaceful conduct of the poll.
The church, in a communique issued at the end of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held at Our Lady and St. Kizito Pastoral Centre, Oke-Gada, Ede, Osogbo Diocese, Osun State, 10 – 18 September 2026 and read to newsmen in Osogbo by the President, Most Rev Matthew Ndagoso, encouraged end-of-the-month fasting and prayers for the success of the poll.
The conference also tasked dioceses and parishes of the church across the country to embark on civic education and mobilisation and charged eligible voters to throng out en masse to vote qualified people into office.
“We invite all dioceses and parishes in our nation to embark on civic education, mobilization and end-of-month fasting and prayer with Rosary processions from October to December 2026 in preparation for the elections. We announce that 8 December 2026 will be observed as special and national day for prayer and fasting for the success of the elections.
“As we approach the 2027 General Elections, we call on all stakeholders to work for free, fair and credible elections. We encourage eligible voters to come out en masse to vote qualified people into offices and in line with their good consciences. As a Conference, we have issued a pastoral letter regarding the forthcoming general elections”.
On poverty
The conference frowned at the deployment of poverty as a weapon of control, saying the lack of basic needs has left Nigerian families struggling for survival.
“We demand that government at all levels create more job opportunities, provide enabling environment for growth, support local businesses, and manage economic policies that ease the financial burden on the poor. Concerted efforts, therefore, must be made by the federal and state governments to drastically reduce poverty, pain and suffering of our people. Still more, Government should work to provide enabling policies for private sector participation. At the same time, we encourage our citizens to practise honest labour, support local enterprises, and avoid criminality and corrupt practices”.
On insecurity
The conference, while commending government on its efforts to tackle insecurity, especially the move to decentralise the police, stressed the need for the reorganisation to be holistic rather than for ethnic sentiment.
“We observe that incidents of widespread violence, kidnapping, banditry, illegal mining and stealing of our common natural resources persist. All these rob citizens of peace and threaten the unity of the nation. In a special way, we demand Government to do all that is necessary to stop banditry and recover the vast portions of land used for this criminal activity and ensure a productive and beneficial use of the land”.
The conference further demanded a halt to the passage of the Foreign Aid Bill 2026, saying, “granting sweeping discretionary authority to government officials over humanitarian resources risks stifling fath-based organisations, churches, mosques, and NGOs. Non-profit bodies are already regulated under CWMQ and other extant laws. We urge the National Assembly not to pass this bill into law in order to protect fundamental rights of association and religious freedom”.
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