The Kaduna Catholic Archdiocesan Laity Council has dissociated the Catholic Church from the participation of some members of the Zumuntan Mata Katolika in a political engagement with Senator Shehu Sani, describing the meeting as unauthorised.
Sani, a former senator, is candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Kaduna Central Senatorial District ticket in the 2027 elections.
In a statement signed by its President, Engr. Joachim O. Daudu, and Secretary-General, AVONG Peter Tagwai, on Thursday, the council said neither the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, its ecclesiastical authority, nor the Archdiocesan Laity Council authorised, approved, sponsored or endorsed the September 6 engagement.
The council said the participants attended the meeting “without the knowledge, consent or permission” of the church hierarchy or the Laity Council.
It warned that their participation should not be interpreted as representing the political position or preference of the Catholic Church.
“While individual Catholic faithful, as citizens, are free to participate in politics and support candidates of their choice in their personal capacities, no individual or group has the authority to use the collective name, identity, uniform or platform of a Church organisation for partisan political purposes without appropriate ecclesiastical authorization,” the statement said.
The council also rejected what it described as any attempt to portray the engagement as a political endorsement, mobilisation or alignment of the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Kaduna or Zumuntan Mata Katolika with Sani or any political party.
It said those who participated had expressed regret over their actions and accepted responsibility for the embarrassment and concern caused to the Archbishop, priests, religious leaders and Catholic faithful in the archdiocese.
According to the council, the participants had also tendered their apologies over the incident.
The council consequently directed all lay organisations and associations under the archdiocese to respect the established structures, authority, discipline and directives of the church, particularly on activities that could be interpreted as representing the church publicly.
It further urged politicians and members of the public to respect the non-partisan identity of the Catholic Church and refrain from attributing political endorsements to it based on actions taken by individuals without ecclesiastical authorisation.
The council, however, said the church remained committed to responsible citizenship, peace, justice, human dignity, democratic participation and the common good while maintaining its non-partisan character.
