John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being determined to retain power “by all means,” warning that such an approach poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
In an interview on Arise Television monitored by The News Chronicle, the former Catholic Archbishop said members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) raised concerns over the credibility of future elections during their recent meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means,” Onaiyekan said.
“Unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal to win. Even if we had a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.”
The respected cleric cautioned that any election lacking credibility would have grave consequences for the country, stressing that Nigeria’s democracy depends on free, fair and transparent electoral processes.
He also revealed that the bishops used their meeting with the President to present what they described as the true state of the nation, arguing that those closest to Tinubu were shielding him from the harsh realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“And that is one of the things that worries us, that there are so many people hanging around Mr President giving a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not,” he said.
Onaiyekan’s comments come days after the Catholic bishops met with President Tinubu at the State House, where they expressed concerns over the country’s socio-economic and political challenges. In response, the President defended his administration’s record, insisting that economic reforms were beginning to yield results and maintaining that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remains impartial in the conduct of elections.
