Archbishop Leonard Bature Kawas has defended his decision to support President Bola Tinubu, dismissing accusations that he is being “fake” for changing his political allegiance.
Kawas, who spoke on Arise News, recalled his previous support for Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election, saying he travelled across the country to campaign for the Labour Party candidate without receiving any financial assistance from him.
“When I was supporting Peter Obi initially, he never gave me one naira. Now that I am supporting Tinubu, people are calling me fake,” he said.
The cleric said he personally funded several of his trips to Obi’s campaign events and also paid the transportation costs of other clergymen who accompanied him.
“He would just see me at the campaign. We would pray for him. I would pay the transportation of six clergymen. We would come there and support him. He never asked me, ‘How did I come? Which hotel did I sleep?’ Yet I did it, and nobody called me fake,” he said.
Kawas also pointed to his past involvement in the political career of former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying he supported Jonathan from his days as Bayelsa State Deputy Governor and later served on his Presidential Campaign Council.
“I was the only bishop in Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign council. And I took campaign everywhere. Nobody called me fake,” he added.
He questioned why his decision to now support Tinubu should attract accusations of hypocrisy, insisting that his latest political position was based on what he described as divine direction.
“Is it now, because I have prayed and God has led me that it is Tinubu, that I suddenly now become fake?” he asked.
