Adeboye backs First Lady’s pastorship, says RCCG won’t bow to pressure

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has declared that First Lady Oluremi Tinubu will retain her role as a pastor in the church, saying her ordination predates her husband’s presidency and was conducted in full compliance with the church’s established processes.

Adeboye, speaking at a church programme, said Mrs. Tinubu was ordained as an Assistant Pastor long before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office or expressed any interest in the presidency, and that she had done nothing to warrant a reversal of that ordination.

He made clear that the church would not yield to public pressure on the matter.

The cleric also sought to distance the RCCG from partisan politics, stressing that the church does not belong to any political group and that while members of different parties worship under its roof, politicians are prohibited from using its altar for campaign purposes. He added that the identity of Nigeria’s next leader was already known to God, and separately addressed the security crisis in the North, saying the church has been providing welfare support and camps for displaced Christians in affected communities.

His remarks, however, triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with opinions sharply divided. Several users questioned the church’s decision, with some alleging a link between the RCCG and the ruling All Progressives Congress. Others expressed frustration over what they described as misplaced public attention, arguing that the ordination of the First Lady was irrelevant to Nigeria’s broader challenges. A section of commentators called for a stricter separation of religion and politics, accusing politicians of exploiting religious institutions to consolidate influence.

A minority of respondents, however, sided with the RCCG’s position, arguing that the church had the right to manage its own affairs without external interference, and that public outrage over the matter reflected misplaced priorities.

The episode has renewed debate over the intersection of religion and politics in Nigeria, a tension that has grown more pronounced in recent years as prominent political figures maintain visible affiliations with major churches and mosques.