This blog post is based on reporting by Emmanuel Nwachukwu originally published on the Christianity Today website.
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued new guidelines prohibiting politicians from using the pulpit for campaigns, a bold move that directly challenges a common practice where generous donations often secure church platforms and influence.
For many Nigerian churchgoers like Izuchukwu Ezidimma, the line between worship and political rally has become dangerously blurred. He recalls a service where the vicar invited a state deputy governor to the pulpit to greet the congregation, promote his party, and then donate millions of naira. “This happens often,” Ezidimma noted, a practice that left him with private disappointments.
This fusion of faith and politics reached a tipping point in July, prompting the head of the Anglican church in Nigeria, Primate Henry Ndukuba, to take a firm stand. The church published a definitive guideline prohibiting politicians from delivering political speeches, declaring that people “can’t come to church—either as politicians or government officials—and turn the church to a campaign ground.”
This courageous move, however, strikes at a significant dilemma: funding. As Ezidimma bluntly stated, “Money is a huge factor. As long as these political actors will bring money, it will be very easy to yield the church’s platform for campaigns.” The tension is palpable. Governor Charles Soludo has even urged clerics to question the source of donations, warning that when the church turns a blind eye, it “loses its moral authority and becomes part of the problem.”
Some pastors are heeding the call. In a powerful act of integrity, Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre rejected a large donation from a state governor, asserting, “Government money should be used for government projects… not mixed together.” This act highlights the core of the struggle: reclaiming the church’s prophetic voice from financial enticements and ensuring the pulpit speaks to the world, rather than being spoken to by it.