…Says; even if election is free, votes may not count
The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government is bent on winning the 2027 e;ection by all means.
Onaiyekan particularly said that unfortunately, the Tinubu-led administration has a lot of means at its disposal and it is deploying all the means in a way that even in a free and fair election, the votes of the electorate may not count.
The Archbishop Emeritus also stated that President Bola Tinubu was not willing to listen and accept the genuine concerns expressed by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria with regards to the state of the economy, insecurity and the country’s political direction.
He urged the federal government to focus on addressing the country’s pressing socio-economic and security challenges, stressing that what Nigerians expect are tangible improvements in their living conditions and not assurances.
Onaiyekan, who stated these when he featured on Arise Television interview few days after Tinubu received the bishops in audience at the State House in Abuja to discuss issues affecting the nation, said the bishops were left with no choice that to tell the President the fact that Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship.
He however, said that President it was obvious that President Tinubu was not willing to accept the reality facing Nigerians, as he insisted that his administration’s economic policies were yielding positive results.
In the words of Onaiyekan; “We told him that the economy was worsening the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, but he insisted that the economy was doing well. President Tinubu made it clear that he did not share our assessment.
“We were not surprised by the President’s response. Our responsibility was to convey the concerns of Nigerians rather than seek his endorsement,” he said.
The Archbishop Emeritus further said that the presentation made to Tinubu reflected the collective views of the bishops after careful deliberation, stressing that they had no political agenda, but a moral obligation to speak on national issues.
Onaiyekan said the bishops pointedly painted an honest picture of the country’s situation instead of presenting what government officials might have preferred to hear.
He expressed serious concern that many of the people within the corridors of power were not willing to tell the President the truth or avail him with frank advice, stressing that the situation is detrimental to good governance.
The Archbishop Emeritus also said that the bishops conference warned against the emergence of a dominant one-party system, stressing that a healthy democracy depends on free, fair and competitive elections.
Onaiyekan therefore advocated reforms to enhance the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), emphasising that public confidence in the electoral body would remain fragile if its leadership continued to be appointed by the President.
