Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has strongly criticised former United States President Donald Trump over his public recognition of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, during the Washington DC Prayer Breakfast held on Thursday.
In a series of posts shared on his social media platforms, Sowore described Trump’s gesture as “shameless hypocrisy,” accusing him of contradicting recent positions taken by the U.S. government on religious persecution in Nigeria.
During the high-profile prayer breakfast, which brought together global religious leaders, policymakers, and political figures to deliberate on faith, leadership, and governance, Trump acknowledged the presence of Mrs Tinubu among the distinguished guests. He also introduced her as a Christian pastor affiliated with Nigeria’s largest church, describing her as a respected figure.
“We are honoured to be joined today by the First Lady of Nigeria, who also happens to serve as a Christian pastor at the largest church in Nigeria a very respected woman,” Trump said while addressing the gathering.
“Thank you very much, it’s a great honour, a very respected person too,” he added.
Sowore’s criticism comes against the backdrop of recent accusations by U.S. officials that Nigeria, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been complacent in addressing the killings of Christians allegedly carried out by Islamic extremist groups. The U.S. government had previously raised concerns about religious violence in Nigeria and announced the deployment of what it described as “small troops” to support Nigerian forces in combating terrorism, banditry, and what it termed a “Christian genocide.”
Reacting to Trump’s remarks at the prayer breakfast, Sowore argued that the recognition of Nigeria’s First Lady undermined those earlier accusations and exposed what he called the inconsistency of American foreign policy.
“Oh, I heard it,” Sowore wrote. “It is exactly the kind of shameless hypocrisy that defines global American politics today.”
He went further to accuse Trump of exploiting religion for political and financial interests, insisting that the former U.S. president has no genuine commitment to faith.
“Donald Trump praising ‘singing’ Remi Tinubu at his Washington DC prayer breakfast is not faith. Trump has no faith in anything but the power of money,” Sowore stated.
According to him, religious persecution narratives are often used selectively by powerful political actors to advance propaganda agendas, only to be discarded when strategic or financial interests are involved.
“Trump and his business neocons scream ‘Christian genocide!’ for propaganda purposes, but the moment money changes hands, the ‘perpetrators’ suddenly become VIP guests receiving standing ovations,” he wrote.
Sowore concluded by accusing global political elites of weaponising religion to suit their interests, saying faith is often “auctioned to the highest bidder” once it becomes politically or financially convenient.
