Electing a Catholic Pope is not ‘Emi lokan’ – Bishop Kukah

Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has stated that the process of electing a pope in the Catholic Church is not influenced by personal entitlement or political ideologies such as the popular Nigerian phrase, ‘emi lokan’.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television aired on May 21, Kukah addressed discussions surrounding the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who succeeded the late Pope Francis on May 18.

The phrase ‘emi lokan’, meaning “it is my turn” in Yoruba, was widely associated with President Bola Tinubu during his 2022 campaign and has since become a common reference in Nigerian political discourse.

Amid online debates about the prospect of an African pope, Kukah dismissed the idea that such decisions are made based on regional rotation or entitlement. “We still have a long way to go,” he remarked. “I wrote something when Pope John Paul II died, and there was speculation that Cardinal Arinze came close. But electing a pope isn’t a case of ‘emi lokan’—where one group has had its turn, and now it’s another’s.”

He criticized those who treat papal elections like political forecasts or betting games, saying such assumptions are rooted in flawed human reasoning. “People are often surprised by the outcome because the election of a pope is unlike any other election. It doesn’t follow human calculations.”

According to Kukah, the Catholic Church holds that the Holy Spirit guides the choice of the next pope, and unlike in African politics, the pope’s country of origin does not receive any special privileges.