The Redeemed Christian Church of God, or RCCG, has clarified a memo that directed the development of a political department within the church with the goal of “coordinating the engagement of our people who are willing to be involved in politics as well as mobilizing support for them.”
The letter was released online as political parties and politicians prepare for electioneering campaigns in the run-up to the general election in 2023.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a pastor with the RCCG, is rumored to be considering running for president, but he has yet to declare his intentions.
The instruction from the RCCG, a large pentecostal church in Nigeria with around 32,000 parishes, has sparked speculation on social media that it is aimed at mobilizing support for the VP.
Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, the RCCG’s Spokesperson, has disproved it.
The guideline, he claims, has been around for a long time and is aimed at getting people involved in politics.
“There is nothing connecting Osinbajo with the directorate; RCCG has been mobilising, creating political awareness long since transition from military to civil rule. RCCG has made it a policy to educate its members on political education – get voter cards, no violence.
“The directorate has nothing to do with Osinbajo or anybody. I don’t know why people are linking something the church has been doing which every organisation should be doing to him,” he said to The Punch.