The Archbishop of the Charismatic Bishops group posted a calm yet firm video that quickly circulated in Christian WhatsApp circles and on X, where his comments about a previous public statement he made supporting Peter Obi in the 2023 presidency have become the latest talking point.
He explains that during the period he stood publicly behind Peter Obi in 2023, he did not receive a single naira from the candidate of any of his associates.
The cleric describes the support as a matter of personal conviction about leadership style and moral direction rather than a financial arrangement.
His comments are made against the backdrop of ongoing political discussions about the 2023 election which have influenced perceptions of politicians, religious leaders and their former supporters ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
Kawas recalls how some people approached him after to ask how much he was paid, and how the very idea offended him.
For the Archbishop, the suggestion that his public position was bought reduced what he saw as a genuine political and moral decision to a financial transaction.
The cleric explains that his church networks organised prayer sessions and quiet mobilisation without any external funding line.
The part of his statement about religious involvement in politics has drawn attention as religious involvement in Nigerian politics has always been a sensitive issue especially when prominent clerics publicly support candidates.
The video has been shared extensively by Catholic and Pentecostal contacts who track political-religious commentary.
Some users are commending his transparency and see the statement as a clear effort to answer a question that has followed his 2023 position.
Others are questioning if any senior religious figure can claim total financial independence during a high-stakes campaign.
Kawas anticipates the scepticism and invites anyone with countering evidence to make it public.
His statement is more about his own decision and his insistence that the endorsement was not financially motivated rather than defending Peter Obi or rehashing the 2023 campaign.
Kawas adds that he is continuing to track the 2027 landscape with an independent position.
This is significant because political alignments can change considerably between election cycles, with people who supported one candidate in one poll supporting another or staying outside the major camps in the next.
The Archbishop’s comments have consequently been seen against the wider backdrop of early positioning for the 2027 political cycle.
The post stands out as most religious endorsements are wrapped in carefully worded statements whereas this comes across as a direct-to-camera rejection of the money narrative.
The bishop’s measured delivery and refusal to attack either side have kept the discussion focused on the claim as opposed to allowing the conversation to devolve into partisan arguments.
Private groups of political aides have started passing the clip as an example of the kind of organic support that cannot be easily purchased.
Whether everyone buys the interpretation is another matter, but the video has clearly put Kawas’ 2023 endorsement back into the public consciousness.
His comments also touch on a wider issue that has followed Nigerian elections for years: the assumption that endorsements from influential individuals have inevitably been linked to money or other benefits.
Kawas is countering this in his own position, saying that his support came out of conviction about leadership style and moral direction while insisting that he was not paid a single naira by Obi or one of his associates.
The Archbishop has not announced any formal endorsement for the next election cycle in the video.
Instead, he has focused on defending the position he took during the 2023 campaign while challenging those who believe it was financially motivated.
For now, his comments continue to circulate through religious and political WhatsApp groups and on X with supporters commending the Archbishop’s explanation and sceptics questioning the circumstances surrounding political endorsements.
The conversation may continue to evolve as the 2027 political season slowly builds up, but Kawas’ message is clear: his support for Peter Obi in 2023, in his own words, was based on conviction and not payment.
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