NEWS
RCCG Youths Demand Suspension of Abuja Political Summit Over Alleged APC Connection, Question Timing and Speaker Line-Up
A group of youths within the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), under the banner of Concerned RCCG Youths, has called for the suspension of a planned youth political summit in Abuja, alleging that the programme could be used to advance partisan political interests.
The youths’ latest position centres on the RCCG Youth Political Summit 2026, tagged “Game Changers,” which is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Mariam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in Abuja. The programme is being organised through the RCCG’s Directorate of Politics and Governance and carries the theme “Youth as Catalysts for National Transformation.”
In a statement signed by Sydney Usman Godwin and Sunday Ogunbanwo on behalf of Concerned RCCG Youths, the group said it had engaged some leaders of the church after members expressed reservations about the planned summit.
The controversy has centred largely on whether a church-organised political engagement can maintain broad political inclusiveness, particularly given the timing of the Abuja summit and the identities of some of the personalities listed to participate.
The youths said they had made their concerns known to church leaders, insisting that the RCCG should not be used as a platform for advancing the interests of any particular political party.
“We made our position clear: The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) must not be used by a greedy few to serve the political interest of the APC,” they said.
One of the major issues raised by the group is the date of the Abuja summit, which is scheduled just before the commencement of the RCCG International Youth Convention in Lagos on September 28.
The youths argued that the proximity of both events could affect participation at the Abuja summit, particularly among RCCG youths who would ordinarily be preparing to attend the international convention.
“If the organizers were truly carrying out this event to promote political participation amongst youths, why organize such an event barely hours before the commencement of the International Youth Convention holding in Lagos and slated to start on 28th of September, 2026?
“Who then attends the RCCG Youth Summit in Abuja when almost every youth should have already been in Lagos? Of course, it will be APC youths,” the group asked.
According to the group, the scheduling could undermine the objective of having a broad-based youth political engagement involving members of the church with different political affiliations.
They consequently demanded that the Abuja summit be postponed until after the international youth convention.
“The organizers claim they want Youths as catalysts for national transformation, which we all agree to. For this reason, we demand that the event be suspended until after the International Youth Convention so that the real RCCG Youths can be in attendance, and also have their various political parties represented,” the statement said.
The youths also questioned the selection of speakers and guests listed for the summit, calling for a review that would, in their view, provide young people with an opportunity to hear directly from individuals seeking elective office.
“Finally, we demand that the list of speakers be reviewed and that persons contesting Federal elections or their delegated spokespersons be invited instead, to engage the Youths on their plan, vision, mission and destination for the Nigerian people,” they said.
The group argued that such an arrangement would make the summit more representative of the political diversity within the RCCG and provide participants with an opportunity to assess competing political programmes.
“Only then will it be considered as encompassing and reflecting the overall ideals of the RCCG and not as furthering the ambition of a failed President,” the youths said.
They further claimed that a significant number of RCCG youths would be travelling to Lagos for the international convention, raising questions about the composition of the Abuja audience.
“Almost every RCCG Youth will be en-route to Lagos for her Youths’ most important gathering, and any youth found at the Abuja Youth Summit will be clearly imported to justify our earlier claim of an APC-powered event,” they said.
The planned summit has attracted attention because of the range of political and public figures listed among its expected guests.
Those listed include Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, former Education Minister Obiageli Ezekwesili and former Senator Dino Melaye.
Others listed are former House of Representatives member Ben Lar; Director-General of the Mariam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, Adedayo Benjamin Laniyi; and members of the House of Representatives Bamidele Salam and Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi.
The summit is hosted by Pastor E. A. Odeyemi, Continental Overseer of RCCG Continent 2, and Pastor Sola Olukoya, Special Assistant to the General Overseer on Youth Affairs.
The event’s stated theme, “Youth as Catalysts for National Transformation,” places youth participation in governance and national development at the centre of the proposed discussions.
The latest demand follows an earlier objection by the same group, in which the youths questioned the use of the RCCG’s name, logo and identity in connection with what they described as a politically partisan gathering.
They said the RCCG Directorate of Politics and Governance should focus on promoting responsible political participation and Christian values in public life rather than advancing the interests of a political party.
“Ordinarily, the organisers who parade themselves as the ‘Directorate of Politics and Governance’ is a Directorate and operations unit saddled with the responsibility of championing the cause of Christlike nature ‘compassion, justice, integrity and righteousness’ in Politics and Governance.
“Its mandate is to encourage Godly participation, promote Christlike values in public service, and awaken the Church to its civic responsibilities, not to become a marketing tool for a political party,” they said.
The youths maintained that the church’s membership cuts across political affiliations and that political engagement organised under its identity should therefore reflect that diversity.
“The RCCG is a Church, not a political party. It is a house of God for all Nigerians irrespective of party affiliation.
“The Church has always maintained political neutrality and we will not allow anyone to sacrifice that neutrality on the altar of partisan politics,“ they said.
The youths called on RCCG leadership at both the FCT and national levels to intervene in the controversy and review the circumstances surrounding the summit.
Their position places the planned Abuja event at the centre of a wider debate over the role religious institutions can play in political participation while maintaining institutional neutrality and accommodating members who belong to different political parties.
“Let it be known that the RCCG belongs to God and to all His people, not to the APC,” the youths said.
The group said it remained committed to what it described as a Nigeria that works for all.
As the September 26 summit approaches, the dispute is therefore focused not only on the event itself but also on questions surrounding political neutrality, youth participation, representation and the extent to which a major Christian organisation should be involved in political engagement.
The youths are urging the church leadership to suspend the programme, review its structure and speaker list, and reschedule it to a period when RCCG youths from across different political affiliations can participate more broadly.