By Gloria Drealomalicha
In Nigeria, the pulpit and the political arena have occasionally intersected, with some Christian clerics choosing to move beyond preaching and become active participants in the country’s political life.
Over the years, pastors, bishops and priests have contested elections, served in government and occupied prominent political positions at both state and federal levels.
Some entered politics after years in Christian ministry, while others combined their political careers with pastoral responsibilities.
Here are some notable Nigerians whose political careers have been closely linked to Christian ministry.
Yemi Osinbajo
Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is perhaps one of Nigeria’s most prominent examples of a politician who is also a pastor.
A professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Osinbajo served as Lagos State Attorney-General before becoming Vice-President from 2015 to 2023.
He is an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Church records also identify him as having served as a pastor at RCCG Jesus Centre before his transfer to Olive Tree Parish.
His entry into national politics brought considerable attention to the role of Pentecostal clergy in Nigerian public life.
Oluremi Tinubu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is another prominent political figure with a pastoral background.
Before becoming First Lady, she represented Lagos Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly from 2011 to 2023. She was ordained an assistant pastor of the RCCG in 2018.
Her career therefore spans politics, public service and Christian ministry.
Umo Eno
Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno is a businessman, politician and pastor.
The Akwa Ibom State Government describes Eno as a bivocational pastor, meaning he combines his pastoral calling with another profession. He became governor after winning the 2023 governorship election.
His emergence, alongside that of Benue Governor Hyacinth Alia, attracted national attention because both governors came into politics from Christian ministry.
Hyacinth Alia
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia represents a slightly different category.
He is not a Pentecostal pastor but an ordained Catholic priest. President Bola Tinubu’s official biography of Alia notes that he was ordained a priest in 1990 before entering partisan politics and eventually becoming governor of Benue State in 2023.
His election marked another significant example of a Christian cleric moving directly from religious service into elective politics.
- Osagie Ize-Iyamu
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a prominent figure in Edo State politics and a senior pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
He has contested the Edo State governorship election on two major party platforms, serving as the PDP candidate in 2016 and APC candidate in 2020. He also contested the APC governorship primary in 2024. Reports have consistently identified him as a senior pastor within the RCCG.
His political career has made him one of the better-known examples of a pastor who has remained deeply involved in partisan politics.
- Francis Ejiroghene Waive
Francis Waive is another politician who moved from Christian ministry into elective politics.
The Delta State politician is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency.
According to his party profile, Waive founded the Church of the Anointing in Warri and served as its Senior Pastor before entering elective politics. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.
- Cornelius Ojelabi
Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi is a veteran Lagos politician who has combined public service with Christian ministry.
Ojelabi has served as a local government chairman, federal legislator and Lagos State commissioner. He is currently chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State and was re-elected to the position in March 2026. Reports identify him as Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.
- Isaac Idahosa
Bishop Isaac Idahosa became nationally prominent during the 2023 presidential election after being selected by Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate on the New Nigeria Peoples Party ticket.
Idahosa is the Senior Pastor of God First Ministry, also known as Illumination Assembly, in Lagos. His selection brought a serving Pentecostal cleric directly onto a major presidential ticket.
- Tunde Bakare
Pastor Tunde Bakare is another prominent example of a Nigerian cleric who entered the presidential arena.
The founder of Citadel Global Community Church has been politically active for years and was the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari on the Congress for Progressive Change ticket in 2011.
He later contested the 2023 APC presidential primary.
Bakare has also remained vocal on governance and national political affairs, frequently using his church’s platform to comment on developments in the country.
- Chris Okotie
Pastor Chris Okotie has combined Christian ministry and presidential politics for decades.
The founder and pastor of Household of God Church has contested Nigeria’s presidential election several times. He was the presidential candidate of the Fresh Democratic Party in 2019 and had previously contested the presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011.
His political journey remains one of the longest-running examples of a Nigerian pastor directly seeking the country’s highest political office.
- Femi Emmanuel
Pastor Femi Emmanuel provides another interesting example because his political career came before his pastoral ministry.
He served as Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly between 1992 and 1993 before moving fully into Christian ministry.
He is now the Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International and has remained an advocate for greater Christian participation in Nigerian politics.
- John James Udoedehe
Former Senator John Udoedehe of Akwa Ibom also publicly embraced pastoral ministry while remaining active in politics.
Udoedehe, who represented Akwa Ibom North-East in the Senate and has also served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, announced in 2019 that he had accepted a calling to preach.
At the time, he specifically said his pastoral calling would exist alongside his political and business activities.
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