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The Apostolic Round Table (ART) has unveiled a 13-point commitment aimed at promoting a peaceful, credible and righteous 2027 General Election, declaring that it will remain politically non-aligned while holding political parties, candidates and electoral institutions to standards of integrity, justice and accountability.
The organisation, in a statement issued on Friday, September 11, 2026, said its commitments were the practical expression of its “ONE MAN” resolution and were designed to move beyond prophetic declarations to concrete civic and electoral action.
The statement was jointly signed by Citizen Bolaji Akinyemi, Convener, Apostolic Round Table; Pastor Gboyega Johnson, ART Conference Director; Elder Anuhu Boyi, National Director of Mobilisation; and Apostle Amanda Nwachukwu, Conference Secretary.
ART said it would neither endorse nor campaign for any political party or candidate as an organisation, stressing that its loyalty would remain to Christ, righteousness, truth, justice, peace and the common good.
neutralityding to the organisation, its political neutrality would not prevent it from engaging political actors or commending what is right and challenging what is wrong.
“Our standard will not change according to who is in power or who is seeking power,” it declared.
A major component of the initiative is the proposed Electoral Righteousness Framework, which ART said would provide standards for evaluating political conduct and electoral participation.
The framework will focus on integrity and character, competence and capacity, respect for the rule of law, peaceful politics, protection of human life and dignity, accountability and transparency, respect for religious and ethnic diversity, rejection of corruption and vote buying, respect for electoral institutions and commitment to the common good.
ART urged Christians and other Nigerians to apply these standards consistently rather than making electoral choices solely on the basis of religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, personality or material inducement.
The group also announced plans for sustained civic and electoral education, particularly targeting young people and first-time voters.
It said the programme would educate citizens on their voting rights and responsibilities, lawful electoral procedures, voter registration and participation, identifying and resisting misinformation, peaceful political engagement, lawful channels for reporting electoral irregularities, and protection of the secrecy and integrity of the ballot.
In a move aimed at preventing election-related conflicts, ART said it would work with Christian leaders and congregations across the country to establish a network of “Community Ambassadors of Peaceful Elections.”
The ambassadors, it said, would promote peace before, during and after the elections and work to ensure that political disagreements do not degenerate into religious hatred, ethnic hostility, community conflict or violence.
The organisation also called on churches to serve as safe spaces for dialogue rather than platforms for political incitement.
ART further pledged to deepen interdenominational unity by bringing Christian leaders together across denominational, generational, ethnic and geographical lines around the ONE MAN vision.
It said leaders could maintain different political preferences while standing together on issues such as truth, righteousness, justice, peace, human dignity and the common good.
The organisation equally disclosed plans to engage political parties and candidates and challenge them to publicly commit themselves to non-violence, issue-based campaigns, truthful public communication, rejection of hate speech, protection of voters, respect for electoral institutions, peaceful dispute resolution and acceptance of lawful electoral outcomes.
“ART will encourage political actors to compete vigorously without treating fellow Nigerians as enemies,” the statement said.
The group said it would also convene a national dialogue involving Christian leaders, civic actors, professionals, young people, political stakeholders and other Nigerians to discuss the moral and civic requirements for credible elections.
According to ART, the proposed dialogue is not intended to produce a Christian political party or impose a Christian candidate, but to establish a national moral consensus on standards that should guide every candidate, political party and electoral institution.
On election monitoring, the organisation said that within the limits of applicable laws and its institutional capacity, it would support credible civic observation and documentation of the electoral environment.
It listed voter intimidation, violence, hate speech, vote buying, suppression of participation, misinformation and abuse of public institutions among conduct it would encourage citizens to report through lawful channels.
ART stressed that its objective was not to “manufacture controversy” but to protect truth and accountability.
It also issued an unequivocal rejection of political violence, regardless of its perpetrators or political affiliations.
“Violence is wrong irrespective of who commits it,” ART declared, warning Christians against allowing their faith to be exploited for violent political mobilisation.
The organisation said its commitment to electoral righteousness extended beyond Christians, insisting that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
It pledged to advocate for an electoral environment where citizens, irrespective of faith, ethnicity, gender, region, political affiliation or social status, can participate freely and safely.
ART also called for prayer and spiritual watchmanship ahead of the 2027 elections, but cautioned that prayer must not become an excuse for civic passivity.
It said the Church must combine “prayer with participation, faith with responsibility, prophecy with action, and spiritual authority with civic maturity.”
The organisation’s commitments also extend beyond Election Day, with ART pledging to promote post-election peace and encourage citizens and political actors to respect lawful electoral and judicial processes.
It said winning candidates should govern with humility, while those who lose should pursue legitimate grievances through constitutional and peaceful means rather than violence.
Importantly, ART said it would hold itself to the same standards it seeks to impose on political actors.
“We cannot call the nation to righteousness while compromising righteousness within our own affairs,” it said, committing itself to transparency, accountability, responsible stewardship, truthfulness and servant leadership.
Under what it described as “Our Covenant With Nigeria,” ART reiterated that it was not entering the 2027 electoral process as a political party, seeking political power or presenting a predetermined candidate.
It also clarified that it was not asking Christians to surrender their individual political judgement.
Rather, the organisation said it was seeking to make every Christian “an agent of righteousness,” every church “an ambassador of peace,” every community “a guardian of peaceful participation,” and every candidate accountable to the principle that public office should be pursued as service.
ART further called on political parties to respect the dignity and freedom of Nigerian voters and electoral institutions to discharge their constitutional responsibilities without fear or favour.
The organisation concluded with a declaration that its intervention in the 2027 electoral process would be anchored on righteousness, peace, truth and justice, with Nigeria regarded as a shared responsibility and Christ remaining its Lord.
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