Photographs of influential religious leaders taking to the streets rarely go unnoticed, particularly when their actions become connected to the political history of the country. For Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), an image showing him carrying a placard has continued to generate questions about his relationship with successive Nigerian administrations. The controversy has returned to public discussion following his latest explanation in November 2026, bringing back an incident associated with former President Goodluck Jonathan and raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the photograph.
The discussion has several important dates, personalities and developments that need to be examined separately. While RCCG had previously raised concerns about insecurity under Jonathan, the widely circulated photograph was taken years later during Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency. Between the original petition, the nationwide Christian prayer programme, Adeboye’s participation in the procession and the church’s subsequent clarification, the story has developed into a significant debate about the cleric’s public interventions and the role of Christian leadership in Nigeria.
October 2010: RCCG Petitions Jonathan Over Kidnappings
The historical background to the controversy dates back to October 2010, when Nigeria was experiencing growing concerns about kidnappings and insecurity. Goodluck Jonathan had become president following the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in May 2010, and his administration was facing increasing pressure to address criminal activities and the abduction of innocent citizens across different parts of the country.
During this period, the Redeemed Christian Church of God, under Adeboye’s leadership, reportedly petitioned the president over the worsening security situation. The church also announced plans for a proposed one million man demonstration to draw attention to the problem and demand stronger action from the federal government. The proposed exercise was intended to involve members across the country, with signatures expected to be collected as part of the campaign.
The development is important because it establishes that RCCG raised concerns about the security situation during Jonathan’s administration. The petition and proposed demonstration were separate from the photograph that later became controversial, although both developments have frequently been combined in discussions about Adeboye’s political interventions.
The available historical accounts establish that the church announced its intention to organise the demonstration, but they do not provide verified evidence that the proposed one million man protest eventually took place. This distinction is central to understanding the allegation surrounding Adeboye, particularly because announcing a protest and physically leading one are 2 different actions.
May 29, 2015: Jonathan Leaves Office
Goodluck Jonathan left office on May 29, 2015, following the presidential election won by Muhammadu Buhari. The transfer of power marked the beginning of a new administration, with Buhari taking over responsibility for the country’s security, economy and other national challenges.
This date becomes relevant when examining the photograph of Adeboye carrying a placard. The image frequently circulated alongside claims about Jonathan was actually taken almost 5 years after he left the presidency. Buhari was Nigeria’s president when the procession took place, making the political interpretation attached to the photograph inaccurate.
January 31, 2020: CAN Announces Nationwide Prayer Programme
The next major development occurred in January 2020, when the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), under the leadership of Reverend Samson Ayokunle, announced a nationwide fasting and prayer programme over insecurity.
The exercise commenced on Friday, January 31, 2020, and was scheduled to end on Sunday, February 2, 2020. It followed growing concerns about killings, kidnappings, terrorist activities and attacks affecting communities across Nigeria. The programme was intended to bring Christians together in prayers for the country, its leadership and security agencies.
As part of the exercise, churches were expected to participate in a concluding prayer walk after their Sunday services. The programme was not designed as an individual activity organised exclusively by Adeboye or RCCG, as it formed part of a wider Christian initiative coordinated under CAN.
Adeboye subsequently instructed RCCG members to participate in the programme, bringing the cleric and his congregation into the nationwide exercise. His involvement would later become the subject of photographs and public discussions that connected the procession to the earlier controversy involving Jonathan.
February 2, 2020: Adeboye Carries a Placard During Procession
On Sunday, February 2, 2020, Adeboye participated in a procession against insecurity in Lagos. The exercise began from the RCCG national headquarters in Ebute Metta, passed through Atan Cemetery in Yaba and returned to the church premises.
The procession followed the church’s monthly Thanksgiving Service, during which Adeboye addressed worshippers about the security challenges facing Nigeria. He called for peace and protection for innocent citizens, while praying against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, militants and ritualists.
Photographs from the procession showed the cleric carrying a placard bearing the inscription, “All Souls Are Precious to God.” The message reflected his position that every life lost to insecurity was valuable, irrespective of the victim’s religious background.
Adeboye specifically maintained that the lives of Christians and Muslims were equally precious to God. His message extended beyond the protection of a particular religious community, focusing on the killings and violence affecting Nigerians across the country.
The procession attracted considerable attention because of the cleric’s position as one of Nigeria’s most influential religious leaders. His participation also gave the nationwide prayer exercise greater visibility, with photographs and videos showing him walking alongside other worshippers.
The February 2, 2020 event is the actual origin of the widely circulated placard photograph. It happened during Buhari’s administration and was connected to the nationwide Christian response to insecurity, rather than a demonstration against Jonathan.
Prayer Walk or Protest Against Insecurity?
The February 2020 exercise has been described as both a prayer walk and a protest against insecurity. These descriptions relate to different aspects of the same public procession, rather than necessarily identifying separate events.
CAN organised the nationwide fasting and prayer programme, while the concluding activity involved Christians taking their concerns into public spaces through peaceful processions. Adeboye participated in the Lagos exercise and used the opportunity to draw attention to the loss of innocent lives.
The placard also provides an important indication of the message being communicated. Its inscription focused on the value of human life, rather than mentioning Jonathan, Buhari or any political party.
The event therefore had a religious dimension and a public security message. Although it was directed at the national situation, the available contemporaneous accounts place it firmly within February 2020, when Buhari was president.
July 22, 2024: The Jonathan Allegation Receives Fresh Attention
The controversy gained renewed attention in 2024 when questions emerged about Adeboye’s public response to economic hardship and government policies under President Bola Tinubu.
Nigerian rapper Eedris Abdulkareem was among those who criticised the cleric, bringing attention to the reported 2010 proposal for a one million man demonstration against insecurity under Jonathan. The argument centred on whether religious leaders who previously raised concerns about government performance were maintaining the same level of public engagement under the current administration.
The historical petition became particularly relevant because it provided a basis for examining the difference between the church’s position under Jonathan and the photograph from Buhari’s presidency.
A subsequent fact check published on July 22, 2024, examined the allegation that Adeboye had protested against Jonathan. The investigation traced the photograph to February 2, 2020, while identifying the 2010 petition and proposed demonstration as separate historical developments.
The findings reinforced the importance of distinguishing the proposed protest from the procession that Adeboye actually attended. The former was announced during Jonathan’s administration, while the latter took place during Buhari’s presidency.
November 8, 2025: Adeboye Challenges Tinubu Over Insecurity
Adeboye’s public comments about Nigeria’s security situation under Tinubu also became relevant to the continuing controversy. During the November 8, 2025 Holy Ghost Service, the RCCG General Overseer addressed insecurity and urged the president to demand stronger results from the country’s security leadership.
He called on Tinubu to give the newly appointed service chiefs a 3 month deadline to eliminate terrorists or resign. He also argued that the government needed to identify and deal with those financing terrorism, rather than concentrating exclusively on individuals carrying out attacks.
Adeboye reportedly stated, “When they eliminate the terrorists, ask them to eliminate their sponsors too.” His intervention came amid renewed international attention on killings and insecurity in Nigeria following comments by United States President Donald Trump.
The cleric also questioned aspects of the government’s presentation of the security situation, particularly claims concerning displaced Nigerians returning to their communities. His comments demonstrated that he had publicly challenged the Tinubu administration over its handling of insecurity, even though his intervention did not involve leading a street procession.
May 2, 2026: Adeboye Explains His Participation in Peaceful Marches
Another important development occurred during the May 2026 monthly Holy Ghost Service tagged Excellent Counsel. Adeboye addressed questions surrounding RCCG’s relationship with the APC and allegations that the church was politically aligned with the ruling party.
The cleric defended the position of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu within RCCG, explaining that her ordination as an assistant pastor happened years before her husband became president. He also rejected the suggestion that the church belonged to the APC, maintaining that members of different political parties worshipped within the congregation.
During the same period, Adeboye explained the circumstances surrounding his participation in previous peaceful marches. He attributed his involvement to instructions from CAN’s leadership, saying that the association’s chairman had called on Christians to participate in a peaceful protest.
He reportedly stated, “That was because the then chairman of CAN asked all Christians to go out for a peaceful protest. If he talks tomorrow and asks me to march, I will.”
The explanation provided another perspective on the February 2020 procession. Adeboye presented his participation as part of a collective Christian exercise rather than an independently organised political demonstration.
He also explained that he operated within the authority of Christian leadership on matters involving collective action. His comments were relevant because they connected his participation to CAN’s coordinating role rather than suggesting that he personally organised a protest against a particular president.
June 2, 2026: RCCG Issues Official Clarification
The controversy continued to attract attention, prompting RCCG to issue an official clarification on June 2, 2026. The church addressed photographs circulating online with claims that Adeboye had protested against Jonathan but was unwilling to take similar action against Tinubu.
RCCG maintained that the photograph originated from the February 2, 2020 nationwide prayer walk organised under CAN. It explained that the procession was a peaceful exercise intended to draw attention to killings and insecurity across Nigeria.
The church also rejected the suggestion that Adeboye had led a demonstration against Jonathan’s administration. It reiterated that the placard carried a message about the value of every human life and that the procession was not organised as a political campaign against any individual or party.
Another part of the clarification addressed allegations about RCCG’s political relationship with the APC. The church rejected the description of itself as a political organisation or the religious arm of the ruling party.
It also emphasised that Adeboye’s responsibility was that of a religious leader, rather than that of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The clarification sought to separate the cleric’s spiritual responsibilities from the constitutional duties of elected political leaders.
June 3, 2026: Johnson Suleman Defends Adeboye
The following day, Apostle Johnson Suleman also spoke about the controversy, defending Adeboye’s participation in the earlier procession.
Suleman reportedly explained that the exercise followed a directive from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), arguing that pastors had been encouraged to participate in the prayer walk.
His explanation introduced a separate reference to the role of Christian organisations in coordinating public religious activities. However, the contemporaneous accounts of the February 2020 programme and RCCG’s subsequent clarification identified CAN as the organisation behind the nationwide fasting and prayer exercise.
Suleman’s comments should therefore be understood as his own explanation of the Christian leadership arrangements surrounding the exercise, while the documented programme was announced under CAN’s leadership.
November 1, 2026: Adeboye Gives His Latest Explanation
The controversy returned to the spotlight on November 1, 2026, when Adeboye addressed the allegation during the November Thanksgiving Service.
The cleric revisited the photograph showing him carrying a placard and challenged the claim that he had participated in a demonstration against Jonathan. His explanation focused on the circumstances surrounding the procession and the role of Christian leadership in organising the nationwide exercise.
Adeboye acknowledged carrying the placard but disputed the political interpretation attached to the photograph. The inscription, “All Souls Are Precious to God,” was central to his explanation of the message he intended to communicate during the procession.
His latest comments followed the earlier clarification by RCCG in June and his May explanation about responding to CAN’s directives. They also brought renewed attention to the distinction between the proposed 2010 demonstration and the actual procession that took place in 2020.
The November 2026 explanation is particularly significant because it comes after years of public discussion about the photograph. It places the cleric’s account alongside the historical reports, the church’s official position and the original circumstances surrounding the procession.
Did Adeboye Ever Lead a Protest Against Jonathan?
The available historical evidence establishes that RCCG petitioned Jonathan in October 2010 over kidnappings and announced a proposed one million man demonstration. However, the announcement does not establish that the demonstration eventually took place or that Adeboye personally led it.
The widely circulated photograph showing Adeboye carrying a placard was taken on February 2, 2020, during a nationwide Christian prayer exercise against insecurity. Buhari was president at the time, and the placard carried the inscription, “All Souls Are Precious to God.”
Adeboye has maintained that his participation followed a directive from Christian leadership, while RCCG has identified CAN as the organiser of the nationwide programme. His November 1, 2026 explanation reinforces the church’s position that the procession was not a protest against Jonathan.
The distinction between the 2010 petition and the 2020 procession remains the most important part of the controversy. RCCG raised security concerns under Jonathan, but the photograph used in discussions about that administration belongs to a different event that occurred during Buhari’s presidency.
