A viral video showing members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God praying over and dedicating a white bus branded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope slogan has triggered sharp backlash from Nigerian Christians who accuse the church and its leadership, particularly Pastor Enoch Adeboye, of political alignment with the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The bus, reportedly received through a government empowerment programme or an APC-linked donation at one of the church’s branches, was treated with the kind of reverence typically reserved for ministry equipment or divine provision. The sight of church members laying hands on a political campaign vehicle and praying over it as though it were a blessing from God rather than a transaction from a political party struck many observers as a betrayal of spiritual independence.
The timing of the video could not be worse. Nigerian Christians, particularly in the north-central and northern regions, continue to bury victims of attacks by suspected herder militants and jihadist groups. Communities in Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, and Taraba states have experienced repeated massacres, many of them targeting Christian farmers in what human rights organisations and local advocacy groups describe as a pattern of violence that has gone largely unaddressed by the federal government.
The contrast between a church receiving a branded bus and Christian communities receiving body bags has not been lost on those watching the video.
Critics have pointed to what they see as RCCG’s relative silence on the security crisis affecting Christian populations under the Tinubu administration. During previous governments, Pastor Adeboye and other prominent Christian leaders were more vocal about insecurity and the perceived targeting of Christian communities. Under Tinubu, that vocal advocacy has diminished, and gestures like the dedication of a political bus have been interpreted as evidence that the church’s leadership has been co-opted, compromised, or simply bought off.
“They are praying over Tinubu’s bus while Christians are being slaughtered in Plateau and nobody is saying anything. This is not the church. This is APC headquarters,” one widely shared comment read.
Defenders of the church argued that receiving a bus for ministry work does not constitute political endorsement and that churches across the country receive donations from politicians of all parties without being accused of compromise. They noted that RCCG operates thousands of parishes across Nigeria and that what happens at one branch does not necessarily reflect the position of the entire denomination or its leadership. Some added that Christians should not reject material support simply because it comes from a government they disagree with, especially when those resources can be used for legitimate ministry purposes.
The problem, however, is not the bus itself. It is the branding, the timing, and the optics. A bus without political slogans is a tool. A bus branded with Renewed Hope and dedicated in a church service is a campaign prop, and treating it as a divine blessing blurs the line between spiritual authority and political endorsement in ways that many Nigerian Christians find unacceptable.
The controversy also reflects deeper divisions within Nigerian Christianity about how the church should engage with political power. One school of thought believes that the church must remain visibly independent, speaking truth to power regardless of which party is in office and refusing entanglements that could compromise its prophetic voice. The other school believes that engagement with political actors is necessary to secure influence, resources, and protection for Christian communities, even if that engagement requires compromise and strategic silence on certain issues.
The video has been widely interpreted as preparation for the 2027 elections, with the APC using church networks to distribute branded materials and build goodwill among Christian voters who may be disillusioned with the party’s record on security and economic management. If the strategy works, it will be because churches like RCCG provided the platform for political messaging to reach congregations who trust their pastors more than they trust politicians.
Nigerian Christians are watching closely. The prayer over the Tinubu bus may have been sincere, but the message it sends is clear. At a time when Christian communities are under attack and the government has failed to protect them, some churches have chosen proximity to power over solidarity with the persecuted. Whether that choice strengthens the church or weakens it will be determined not by how many buses are dedicated but by how many lives are defended….See More
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