By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
KADUNA — Former Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion Worldwide and founder of the Kaduna Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations, Bishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has urged Nigerians to look beyond religious identity when choosing political leaders in the 2027 general elections.
Idowu-Fearon, who is also a former Chairman of the Kaduna State Peace Commission, said Nigeria needed a president who genuinely practised the values of his or her faith, rather than one chosen solely on the basis of religious identity.
The bishop spoke on Monday in Kaduna while responding to questions on the economy, religious leadership, politics, insecurity and the 2027 elections.
“Nigeria, honestly, this country does not need a Muslim or a Christian president. What we need is a president who is Christian or Muslim. There is a difference,” he said.
He said the same principle should apply to governors, senators, ministers and other public office holders, arguing that neither Christianity nor Islam encouraged corruption, dishonesty, tribalism or exploitation.
According to him, Nigerians should assess political leaders based on their character, performance, integrity and commitment to the common good rather than their religious identity.
Don’t be too close to politicians
Idowu-Fearon also cautioned religious leaders against becoming excessively close to politicians, warning that dependence on political figures for financial and other benefits could undermine their moral authority.
“As religious leaders, whether an Imam or a priest, a Sheikh or a Bishop, whatever — when you begin to frequent politicians, you get corrupted,” he said.
He added: “If I give you money, if I make sure that you are very comfortable, you cannot challenge me. You’d rather become economical with the truth, and that is the problem we are facing.”
The bishop stressed that the problem was not peculiar to Muslim clerics, noting that Christian religious leaders could also be compromised by excessive political influence.
He said religious leaders had a responsibility to represent their communities before God and uphold the principles of their respective faiths in society.
Government must acknowledge hardship
On the economy, Idowu-Fearon challenged the Federal Government to acknowledge the hardship confronting millions of Nigerians rather than appearing to deny its severity.
He said his regular interactions with ordinary people during visits to churches and communities in Kaduna had exposed him to the impact of rising living costs.
“To say people are not suffering as a result of what is going on in our country, I think we are being economical with the truth,” he said.
According to him, some families could barely afford basic necessities, while some worshippers were struggling to pay transportation fares to attend church services.
“You can see suffering. There is no doubt about that. A good number of people just have one meal a day. They can hardly even have a balanced meal,” he said.
The bishop questioned the impact of increased government revenues and allocations to states and local governments, asking where the benefits were being felt by ordinary Nigerians.
“I also heard the Minister of Finance talking about trillions coming in, trillions going to the state governors, going to the local government chairmen. And I ask, where is the money? Where is this money?” he asked.
He cited rising prices of household items as evidence of the pressure on citizens, recalling that a bathroom soap holder that previously cost about N500 was recently quoted to him at N5,000.
“Something that we were paying about 500 Naira for, 5,000! Tomatoes, anything you ask, they tell you thousand, thousand. What do we do?” he asked.
He also expressed concern over electricity supply, saying his residence had been without public power supply for several days.
Rather than deny the hardship, Idowu-Fearon urged the government to clearly explain its economic policies and measures being taken to ease the burden on Nigerians.
“Instead of denying, government should say, ‘We are aware. This is what we are doing, this is what we are doing,’” he said.
Kaduna Muslim-Christian arrangement
Commenting on Governor Uba Sani’s decision to return Kaduna to a Muslim-Christian political arrangement, Idowu-Fearon said the decision reflected the state’s political and religious realities.
He noted that Kaduna had previously operated arrangements in which Muslims and Christians occupied the two top executive positions before the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai adopted a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“However, the political terrain in Kaduna supports what Governor Uba Sani has done. The terrain supports it,” he said.
The bishop, whose doctoral research focused extensively on Kaduna State’s religious and social composition, expressed hope that the arrangement would promote greater cooperation among the three senatorial zones.
“We should pray that this decision will bring better understanding and cooperation between the three senatorial zones in Kaduna State,” he said.
Religious leaders should not dictate votes
Ahead of the 2027 elections, Idowu-Fearon urged religious and traditional leaders to educate voters without dictating whom they should support.
“I don’t subscribe to a traditional ruler, a Bishop, or whoever telling members what to do,” he said.
He called for debates and greater public scrutiny of candidates, urging religious leaders to help Nigerians understand the responsibilities of elected officials and assess their performance.
“We should have debates. We should encourage debates!” he said.
He described it as wrong for religious leaders to use their authority to direct their followers to vote for particular candidates.
“It is wrong… for any religious leader to say, you should vote for this person,” he said.
He added that Nigerians would ultimately be accountable for how they exercised their franchise.
“For this 2027 election, with all we’re going through, every vote, God is going to ask you, ‘How did you use your franchise?’”
Insecurity
On insecurity, the former Peace Commission chairman acknowledged improvements in some parts of Kaduna State, particularly Birnin Gwari, but urged security authorities not to relent.
“The government is trying, but… they should not relent. They should keep the pressure on those who are committed to creating problems,” he said.
He specifically commended the improvement in the security situation in Birnin Gwari.
“Birnin Gwari today, as far as I’m concerned, is a part of the state we can flag, because things have really gone down a bit,” he said.
Peace Commission ended constitutionally
Idowu-Fearon also clarified the circumstances surrounding the end of the Kaduna State Peace Commission, which he previously chaired.
He said the commission’s enabling law provided for a five-year tenure and that its mandate had already extended beyond that period.
“We had stayed for more than five years. I think we were driving into our sixth or seventh year,” he said.
He explained that the decision followed discussions with the Kaduna State Government and was not the result of any disagreement between the commission and the administration.
“So, it wasn’t by fiat. We had discussions,” he said.
According to him, the focus was expected to move from conflict resolution towards conflict prevention, while discussions were continuing on possible collaboration between the Kaduna Centre and the government.
“There was no bad blood, no bad feeling. It was a constitutional matter,” he said.
Population figures should not become religious contest
The bishop also cautioned Nigerians against turning Christian and Muslim population figures into a political competition.
“As a student of Christian-Muslim relations, I object to that,” he said.
He urged both faith communities to focus instead on their shared values and responsibilities to society.
Idowu-Fearon said religious institutions had an important role to play in shaping the values of young Nigerians, stressing that life should not be reduced to the pursuit of money and material possessions.
“Life is not just money, it’s not just money. It’s not material possession,” he said.
He urged Christian and Muslim leaders to work together to teach young people to respect human dignity irrespective of religious affiliation.
“Don’t look at me as a Kaduna Christian; look at me as a human being,” he said, adding that both the Bible and the Quran affirmed the dignity of humanity.
He said his Kaduna Centre was already using interfaith initiatives, including scriptural reasoning, to encourage Muslims and Christians to explore their shared values.
“We have a lot in common. We are created by the same God, we are endowed by the same God,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to judge political leaders by their character and performance rather than their faith.
“You have honour, you have dignity, and I should see it in you,” Idowu-Fearon said.
“When you look at me, don’t say ‘this is an infidel,’ don’t say ‘this is a Christian,’ say this is a human being with honour from God… and with dignity.”
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