BY OBSERVERS TIMES RELIGION DESK
The simmering tension between the Nigerian government and the organized Church has reached a boiling point as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) officially formed a “sacred alliance” with the Catholic Church, warning the President Bola Tinubu administration that the Body of Christ will no longer be intimidated.
In a blistering state-of-the-art intervention, the National President of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, threw the weight of millions of Pentecostals behind the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). He declared that any attempt by government state actors to isolate or attack Catholic clerics for speaking truth to power would be viewed as a declaration of war against all Christians in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is Bleeding”A Unified Verdict
Bishop Oke’s intervention follows a courtesy visit that “Nigeria is bleeding.”
“Are we not bleeding?” Bishop Oke queried in a defiant tone. “Are we not bleeding in Benue? Southern Kaduna? Gwoza? Oyo? Speaking truth to power is not politics; it is a moral imperative. Should anybody attack a Catholic bishop for saying the obvious truth? If they attack them, they are attacking the whole Church. We have one faith, one Lord, and one baptism.”
The Preaching War: “We Will Break That Law”
The PFN leader specifically targeted the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Act, which seeks to impose a N50,000 fine on bus preachers. Despite Senate clarifications that the law has existed since 2007, Bishop Oke described it as an “evil law” designed to stifle the gospel.
“We will break that law,” Oke vowed. “Dear Senate, we would rather obey God than man. I have preached in buses since 1975 without causing accidents. If you want to make all the stadiums in Nigeria prisons to hold us, we are ready. But the gospel will not be silenced.”
OIC and Constitutional Grievances
The PFN president pushed the envelope further, demanding that the National Assembly pull Nigeria out of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He argued that Nigeria’s membership was a military imposition that violates the secular nature of the country.
He further alleged a systemic bias in the 1999 Constitution, claiming the document mentions Islam hundreds of times while Christianity is mentioned only once, despite Christians making up over 50 percent of the population.
“The government is spending billions to lobby against claims of Christian genocide in the U.S. while our people are being killed in Plateau, Taraba, and Benue. The Senate should invite the Church for a talk instead of making laws against preaching,” Oke stated.
The “Political” Counter-Argument
However, the front is not entirely unified. Some voices within the faith suggest that the timing of the Church’s critique is problematic. Pastor Seyi Osuntayo, Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church Nigeria (Igbein Area), cautioned against “political roforofo.”
“The timing of the Catholic Bishops’ advice could be seen as partisan,” Osuntayo noted, suggesting that clerics should focus on prayer and governance from the onset rather than waiting for electioneering periods.
Similarly, Ugoji Maximillian, a political analyst and former seminarian, accused the bishops of “putting all their eggs in one basket” during the 2023 elections. “They went all out for Peter Obi and showed dislike for Tinubu. It pains influential men to be ignored by the one who rules their domains,” he claimed.
Journalist and author Ben Charles-Davies described the government’s pushback against the bishops as “rank hypocrisy.”
“In 2014, when these same bishops criticized President Goodluck Jonathan, the APC—then in opposition—celebrated them as heroes. Today, the same bishops are telling them the people are hungry, and they are angry. This is a diversion from the main issue: poverty and insecurity,” Charles-Davies said.
As the PFN and Catholic bodies align, analysts say the Tinubu administration faces its most formidable moral challenge yet—a unified religious front that appears ready for civil disobedience in the face of what they term “oppressive legislation.”
