How the Catholic Church steers Nigeria’s politics

 

The Roman Catholic Church has deep-seated roots in Nigeria’s politics, which can make or break elections in the Middle Belt and southeastern regions.

Shackled by an image problem due to its inability to address the perennial ethno-religious crisis in Benue State, Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was in pole position to lose in Christian-dominated Benue State.

That was until the APC changed strategy by picking Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest, as its governorship candidate.

Benue State benediction

Seeing as the tide was changing, the ruling party in Benue State – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – also picked a Catholic knight, Titus Uba, as its governorship candidate to go up against the APC, making the electoral competition an all-Catholic affair.

Even though he was suspended by his bishop for taking part in partisan politics, Reverend Father Alia’s political campaign, which was grounded on “healing and hope”, was enough to galvanise his followers into action and made it difficult for his opponents to campaign against him.

With the slogan, ‘Yes father’, Alia not only defeated the PDP by a landslide, but he also delivered the state to the APC in the presidential elections.

Joe Abuku, a political strategist and indigene of Benue State who has handled two governorship campaigns, says: “Although there are other Christian denominations, the Catholic Church has a commanding lead in Benue State. Benue has one of the largest concentrations of Catholics in Nigeria.”

He adds that in Alia’s case, victory was certain even before the election because he already had a cult following, as it was common to see bottles of his branded holy water in Benue homes.

Despite this impressive feat, Alia is not the first priest to use his cassock to be elected governor in Benue, a state with more than two million Catholics.

In January 1992, Father Moses Adasu was elected governor of Benue after accepting a suspension.

Religious country

Nigeria is one of the most religious countries in the world, with 54.2% of the respondents identifying as Christian and 45.5% identifying as Muslim, according to a 2022 Afrobarometer study.

The population of Nigerian Catholics is estimated to be roughly between 25 million and 30 million, and they are amongst the most active as well.

A 2023 survey by the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University indicates that Nigeria has the highest Catholic Mass attendance in the world – at least 94% of Catholics in Nigeria say they attend Mass at least weekly, while in the US, it is 17%.

The Catholic Church has a tight grip on Nigerian society, which goes hand-in-hand with politics, too.

“The priests have the trust of the people and thus have large followers. Faith is a spiritual thing, but politicians are after the followers, hence they go to the priests,” says Reverend Father Jude Mary.

South East bloc

Although there are notable populations of Catholics in the South West and the Middle Belt, the largest concentration of Catholics in Nigeria is the South East, the heartland of the Igbo ethnic group, which comprises Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia states.

In states like Anambra, the last four governors have been Catholics. The only non-Catholic governor ever produced in the 4th Republic was Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, who won in 1999 mainly because very few showed interest in the race.

By 2003, when he was up for re-election, Mbadinuju accused Catholic priests of being deeply involved in partisan politics, alleging that they were secretly screening candidates for elections.

Mbadinuju accused the Catholic priests of screening out non-Catholics, a practice he described as “very dangerous in the politics of Anambra State”. He eventually lost the re-election.

Labour Party former presidential candidate Peter Obi, who is a Papal Knight, was publicly endorsed in Anambra State by the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, during one of his campaigns.

Obi has played up his Catholic roots in his campaigns and has two siblings who took vows – a brother who is a reverend father and a sister who is a mother superior.

Even the education sector has had a hand in thrusting Catholics into political life. Christ the King College in Onitsha has produced the most Anambra State Catholic politicians, including former governor Obi, his successor, Willie Obiano, as well as a host of Supreme Court judges.

“The Catholic Church has a massive influence in Anambra State, and so it is difficult for a person who is non-Catholic to win the election because the bishops there are very influential,” says Chukwudi Iwuchukwu, a public relations expert and blogger.

Iwuchukwu tells The Africa Report that some governors who were unpopular held office mainly due to the support they received from bishops.

The rivalry is similar in Enugu State, where Anglican clerics in 2015 protested the fact that the incoming governor and deputy governor were both Catholics.

Influential figures

It has become customary in the region for politicians to receive endorsements from priests to boost their chances of victory.

Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, a controversial Catholic priest who runs his own semi-independent ministry in Enugu, has for the last 14 years indicated to his followers who to vote for.

Politicians from across the country – including Muslims – have attended his events to get his support.

Another influential priest in the region is Father Emmanuel Edeh, who founded Madonna University, one of the country’s biggest private varsities.

Reverend Father Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese is a member of the National Peace Committee led by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, which promotes peaceful elections.

Kukah, a prolific author, has enjoyed direct access to several Nigerian presidents.

(The Africa Report)