The Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has shared the challenges she encountered in her local church after her husband chose to contest the 2023 presidential election on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Ordained as a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in 2018, one of Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal denominations, Remi revealed her struggles in her newly published memoir, The Journey of Grace: Giving Thanks in All Things.
According to Punch newspaper, the First Lady described the situation as a “bitter pill” that created divisions in her parish and tested her faith. The 52-page book, released in celebration of her 65th birthday, documents events between 2021 and 2025 and features a foreword by Folashade Olukoya, wife of the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries.
Oluremi recounted how the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s decision to adopt a Muslim-Muslim ticket reopened sensitive religious discussions across the country. Although a Christian, she explained that her faith did not affect her husband’s political choice, though it did cause rifts within her church.
“We kept moving forward with hope in God, and each campaign was interesting despite the fact that all the odds were stacked against him,” she recalled.
“One of such decisions was the unpopular ‘Muslim/Muslim ticket’. My being a Christian did not matter. My local assembly, Redeemed Christian Church of God, was split.”
Reflecting on her 2011 senatorial campaign, Remi said the church once rejected her campaign posters, an experience that shaped her understanding of the church’s diverse membership.
“I later realised that we are a church like other churches with members of all political parties in attendance,” she noted.
“I experienced this during my campaign in 2011 for the senate, when I took my campaign posters to the church, and it was rebuffed. After that, I never tried again.”
Despite hostility from some parishioners, she said many elders and members supported her with prayers, which strengthened her spiritually.
“But I kept attending church, and I thank God I have grown from being a baby to a mature Christian,” she wrote.
“So the little resentment I witnessed from a few was met with the peace of God. All the same, despite a few who showed hostility, many were encouraging, especially our elders, who would encourage me from time to time with prayers.
“To this end, I am grateful to God and everyone of them, especially those of them who lived to watch the presidential inauguration when the time came. I thank the pastorate also for making arrangements for them.
“I thank my local assembly because most of them made me feel welcome and comfortable enough to come to church whenever I was home from Abuja, where I was still serving as a senator representing Lagos central senatorial district.”
‘ONLY GOD REWARDS, NOT MAN’
Remi further revealed that some of her husband’s close allies abandoned him when he finally decided to pursue the presidency after years of reflection.
“He had mused on the idea for over 14 years, and this was where we arrived at a crossroads. Most people I thought would support the idea because of past relationships were not forthcoming,” she wrote.
“After consulting with some of his political allies, he was set to give it a shot. The decision now rested on him to go on or not to. A lot of consultations began.
“Some were favourable, while others were neither here nor there. Some said no indirectly, while others would rather want to see the outcome before taking a position.
“I realised that whatever good you do in life, it is only God who rewards you and not man. I do not have anything against anyone… the question is how did I not feel the betrayal anymore? I knew the grace factor was evident, and the Holy Spirit continually comforted me.”