Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, has challenged the Federal Government to conduct a credible national census that captures religious affiliation, saying accurate figures are needed to establish the actual population of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.
Enenche made the call during a Sunday service in Abuja on August 16, 2026, while responding to recent comments attributed to Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir concerning Nigeria’s religious composition and political future ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Jingir had reportedly urged Muslims to use their voting strength to support Muslim candidates and advocated the continuation of a Muslim Muslim presidential ticket. He was also reported to have claimed that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria.
The comments triggered a fresh debate over Nigeria’s religious demographics and the role of religion in the country’s political calculations.
Reacting to the claims, Enenche rejected any suggestion that Christianity is subordinate or secondary to another religion in Nigeria. He argued that Christians have a substantial presence across the country and that assertions about religious numerical superiority should be backed by verifiable demographic evidence.
The Dunamis pastor pointed to the presence of Christians in different parts of Nigeria, including areas widely regarded as predominantly Muslim, as evidence that the country’s religious landscape is more complex than sweeping claims of dominance may suggest. Reports on his sermon noted that he referenced Christian communities in places including Sokoto, Yobe and Borno.
Enenche said a properly conducted census would provide an opportunity for Nigerians to state their religious affiliations and allow the country to determine its actual religious composition based on data rather than assumptions or political claims.
He questioned why people making claims of numerical superiority would not support an exercise capable of establishing the figures conclusively.
The pastor also warned against statements capable of escalating religious tensions or provoking violence. He criticised the security authorities for allowing individuals to make inflammatory remarks without intervention, arguing that provocative rhetoric can have serious consequences in a country with a history of religious and communal tensions.
The controversy comes as Nigeria approaches the 2027 presidential election, when religious representation is expected to remain an important issue in political debates. President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress is continuing with a Muslim Muslim presidential ticket, making questions about Christian and Muslim representation particularly sensitive.
Nigeria currently does not have a recent official national census that provides definitive figures for the country’s Christian and Muslim populations. The 2006 population census did not include religious affiliation, leaving estimates of the country’s religious composition dependent largely on surveys and demographic projections rather than an official nationwide religious headcount.
The renewed dispute therefore goes beyond a disagreement over numbers. It touches on political representation, voting patterns, national identity and the delicate religious balance between Nigeria’s two largest faith communities.
The debate also comes at a time when Muslim and Christian leaders have been making efforts to reduce religious tension. Earlier in August, more than 50 Christian and Muslim leaders signed an interfaith peace accord in Abuja aimed at promoting religious harmony, discouraging hate speech and strengthening peaceful coexistence ahead of the 2027 elections.
Enenche’s demand for credible demographic data has consequently placed the question of Nigeria’s religious population at the centre of a wider national conversation about representation and political power.
For Enenche, the way to settle competing claims about whether Christians or Muslims constitute the larger population is straightforward: conduct a credible census and allow the data to establish the facts.
