Bishop Oyejola Challenges Nigerians to Divine Accountability, Electoral Integrity, and the Sacred Trust of PowerL
By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh
The official Opening Mass of the Second Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) was held at the St. Benedict Catholic Cathedral in Osogbo, on Sunday 13 September, 2026.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, surrounded by Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops from across the nation, clergy, civic and royal dignitaries, and thousands of the lay faithful.
Delivering the homily, the host prelate, Most Rev. John Akinkunmi Oyejola, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, issued an uncompromising prophetic charge calling the nation back to divine accountability, electoral integrity, and the sacred understanding of public governance.
Setting the spiritual tone of the assembly, Bishop Oyejola confronted the culture of impunity and self-aggrandisement that plagues political leadership in Nigeria. He reminded those in power that earthly authority is fleeting and that every leader, like every human person, will ultimately answer before the divine tribunal, and urged leaders to recognise governance as a form of stewardship rather than personal ownership.
”Public office is not personal property; it is not a family inheritance. It is a sacred trust under God,” Bishop Oyejola declared. “Whoever claims to govern must remember that they answer to the God of justice, who weighs motives, actions, and the treatment of His people.”
Moreover, the prelate decried the stark disconnect between political elites who build high security walls and travel in armoured convoys while ordinary citizens remain exposed to terror, hardship, and insecurity. A government’s fundamental covenant with its populace, he emphasized, is the protection of life and dignity.
Directing his message to the electorate as crucial electoral choices approach, Bishop Oyejola delivered a soul-stirring appeal regarding the moral weight of civic duty. He warned citizens against trading their future for temporary material gains, insisting that democratic participation is an act of conscience that carries eternal consequences.
”Your vote is not a commodity to be exchanged for a bag of rice, a wrapper, or a handful of cash,” he exhorted. “When you sell your vote, you surrender your voice, your dignity, and your moral authority. A vote is a moral act—a seed planted into the future of our children.”
He called on every Nigerian to reject vote-buying, ballot rigging, and political violence, urging the populace to embrace integrity and moral courage at the polling booths.
Grounded in the day’s liturgical readings, the Bishop reminded the assembly that societal renewal cannot occur without aligning mercy with justice. True peace, he argued, requires a deliberate departure from vengeance, greed, and structural wickedness.
”Mercy without justice becomes weakness; justice without mercy becomes cruelty,” he affirmed. “When mercy and justice meet, society is healed, trust is restored, and the common good becomes possible again.”
Calling for deep self-examination among political leaders, citizens, and religious shepherds alike, Bishop Oyejola urged the worshippers to pray for transformation across the land.
