Former Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, John Onaiyekan, has said that the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, knows that he is telling lies about the February 25 presidential election.

The election produced the All Progressives Congress’ Bola Tinubu as President but the matter is now in the Supreme Court as the opposition are contesting the result.

After persistently claiming that the election was rigged in Tinubu’s favour, Onaiyekan again on Saturday bombed Yakubu, saying he had failed to admit that nothing went wrong with the poll.

Speaking to the media in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he said he shed tears when he again heard the INEC boss defending the election.

“This is a place where noting works. We should refuse to accept this is a country where certificates are forged and it’s okay.  We should refuse to agree that this is where elections are rigged  and you say ‘Go to court’.

“I shed tears when I heard him say the election went well.  He knows he is not telling the truth. Whatever judges may decide at the end of the day the truth will make us free.”

Lasun Alagbe

The Archbishop of the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Onaiyekan, on Thursday, expressed his wish that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, be not sworn in on May 29. Although he did not say what should happen on the day, since there is bound to be a vacuum following the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, his stand is that cases in court should first be decided, indicating that he is not convinced that Tinubu won the February 25 presidential poll.

The perspective, which he expressed during an interview with ‘Channels Television’, has drawn various reactions. While some, particularly supporters of the Labour Party’s candidate, Petr Obi, have endorsed Onaiyekan’s stand, many other Nigerians, especially the APC’s supporters, have strongly condemned it. Many of the latter said Onaiyekan was speaking for Obi, whom he had expressed support for before the poll, while others noted that he was not only being hypocritical but also fanning embers of anarchy.

They base their argument on the fact that although legal battles are part of the transition process, they are not supposed to be a spanner in the wheel.

Of course, Onaiyekan has the right to criticise the process that led to the emergence of Tinubu or any other candidate; but saying he should not be sworn in is tantamount to calling for dangerous confusion. It is appalling that the call is coming from a religious leader of Onaiyekan’s calibre. He had often preached peace. He had also usually called for justice and balance, just as he had outright rejected the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. As a matter of fact, he also publicly endorsed Obi, describing him as the most viable new force to support. All of these are legitimate and largely understandable since every living soul is a political animal. But his call against swearing in Tinubu seems to be taking the game too far because the stage the democratic tradition is now is no more about any candidate but that of a national process.

By the way, does Onaiyekan remember that the millions of people who are not Obidient like him, but who voted for Tinubu, are also bona fide Nigerians? They are well alive and have the right to see their votes not just count but also get actualised as the Nigerian Constitution prescribes. It is a good cause to fight for those who cast their votes for Obi, who are also in millions – and the People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the election – but it is not right to assume that no one probably voted for Tinubu, or that those who did do not matter until one big judge says so. Asking whoever they too voted for not to be sworn in as due is like agitating on the graves of non-Obidient voters.

Here is how Onaiyekan put his strange belief in the interview: “There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation. We have a president-elect whose election is being challenged and the court is handling it.
“I’m still waiting for the court to tell me who won the election. It doesn’t make much sense to be swearing in people when they are still in court. I know it has happened with governors, but the outcome has not been the best of all cases.”
Curious. The senior citizen’s stand is, indeed, curious, pressuring one to suggest that, even in the clouds of (legitimate) anger, no one should say or do anything that can end up being in the devil’s interest as far as the democratic experience is concerned..

Archbishop of the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Onaiyekan, has rejected the victory of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in the February 25 presidential election.

He said he was still waiting for the courts to tell whom the winner was.

Onaiyekan said this during a programme on Channels Television on Thursday.

The cleric, who was among those who rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress, said no one should be sworn in until the courts decided.

He was, however, silent on what should happen on May 29, when the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari ends.

He said: “There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation. We have a president-elect whose election is being challenged and the court is handling it.

“I’m still waiting for the court to tell me who won the election. It doesn’t make much sense to be swearing in people when they are still in court. I know it has happened with governors, but the outcome has not been the best of all cases.

I think we need to review our election process, so we do have a winner who will be sworn in and whom everybody would rally around. It is a pity that it is taking longer for the court to come to its decision.

“My problem is that the whole system of our election must be properly reviewed so that it would be easier for winners to emerge according to the wishes of the people. It is not right to have a system that is constantly contested. We should find out why is every election being contested.”

They do not want to block the loopholes that they normally use to get it.

Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has tackled the political class for selling forms for election contests at outrageous fees.

He on Sunday berated the political class in the country, saying they had deliberately strangulated the country.

According to him, most of them now regard politics as avenue to capture the resources of the nation instead of offering service to the people.

He said selling a form for N100m, as the All Progressives Congress had done, showed that they believed only rich people could govern.

Onaiyekan made the assertion during a Holy Mass to mark Fathers Day.

The event has the theme: ‘Celebrating the elderly (70 and above)’, was organised by the Catholic Men’s Organization (CMO) of the Holy Family Catholic Church Life Camp, Abuja.

“For as long as our political system is the way it is, anything goes.

“Obviously, those who have indicated interest in being president, must be able to buy a form for N100 million in Nigeria of today, and you obviously know the name of the game.

“It means if you are not part of that kind of people don’t even think of ruling Nigeria.

“Who told them that it is only the rich people who can rule Nigeria or that the problem of Nigeria is going to be solved by these people who are already very happy with the way things are?”

“They are not going to change anything for me and you,” he said.

Onaiyekan added that Nigeria may not likely change for the better “because those who should do it are the beneficiaries of the system that we want to change.

“They do not want to block the loopholes that they normally use to get it.”

In spite of the situation, the cleric said Nigerians must pray for a good person to be president of the country in 2023.

Chairman of the CMO, Chief Cyril Ezeani, urged the government to do more in caring for the elderly.

He also urged Nigerians to begin to rebuild the dying culture and consciousness of taking care of the elderly.

“To honour and obey parents is the only commandment of God that comes with a promise, and one of the best promises for that is longevity,” Ezeani added.

He urged the Church and other faith-based institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations and governments to establish recreational centres for the elderly.

“A place they can go and socialise and play games to kill the boredom of loneliness and abandonment,” he added.

The Parish Priest, Rev. Fr Anthony Olaniyan, said Nigerians should celebrate senior citizens by spending time with them and keeping them happy.

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Prof. Attahiru Jega and other civil right actors have called for the convening of a National People’s Conference to address Nigeria’s political structure.

The coalition under the umbrella of the Nigeria Working Group on Peace building and Governance made the call in a communiqué following a convening of civil society actors meeting on Friday in Abuja.

It said that the group offered key observations and recommendations on how citizens could collectively create synergy in seeking pathways to the rebuilding of Nigeria.

The actors included Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, General Martin Luther Agwai Prof. Attahiru Jega, former INEC chairman, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim, Dr Nguyan Shaku Feese, Dr Usman Bugaje, Adagbo Onoja and Amb. Fatima Balla.

Others include Amb. Zango Abdu,Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Dr Chris Kwaja, Dr Hussaini Abdu, Kemi Okenyodo, Mr Jim Gala, Mrs Aisha Muhammed Oyebode and Tsema Yvonne.

The group said in the absence of a binding narrative, series of conspiracy theories had emerged with immense capacity to divide the country along the sharp line of both ethnicity and religion.

It therefore recommended that apart from People-Centred Dialogue Process and Nigerians in their communities, associations, civil society groupings, women’s groups and youth groups should accelerate ongoing discussions to deepen the emerging consensus.

It also recommended the prosecution of criminality and violent confrontations between farming and herding communities which had claimed thousands of lives and deepened ethnic, religious, and regional polarisation.

It said that civil society, the media, professional associations, socio-cultural groups, women, youth, students, and people living with disability should act in one accord as key catalysts for civic action.

The group said that this was because civic action representing key voices was needed to be amplified in mobilising citizens as a basis for compelling governments at all levels to act in the overall interest of the citizens.

It decried the sustained absence of strategic communication between the Nigerian state and its citizens.

“This situation is further heightening the level of desperation among the citizens that are increasingly being detached from the everyday governance of the Nigerian state.’’

The group observed that the increasing insecurity across the country continued to gallop toward the abyss.

It said this was due to the lack of political will and the inability of the country’s security architecture to manage the multiple challenges.

It said that kidnapping for ransom was an acute concern across the country.

It said that the northeast was witnessing resurgence in Boko Haram activity and thousands of people were internally displaced by banditry across rural communities in the northwest.

The group said that the criminality in rural areas further complicated the situation by undermining food security as many farmers had been unable to go to their farms for months for fear of losing their lives.

It said corruption was getting out of control and there was a concerted effort to dismantle anti-corruption agencies and render them ineffective.

The group said that the confidence toward the Nigerian state was very low thereby heightening the divides in the federation and creating widespread demands for dialogue and consensus building on restructuring.

It said that the Nation needed to adopt a sense of urgency in the way it dealt with rapidly accumulating liabilities.

“We welcome the obvious improvements in elite consensus and inclusiveness in dealing with legitimate demands to restructure the nation.

“We urge every well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the discussions, debates and the search for real and constructive solutions to limitations in the operations of our constitution and the structures that give meaning to our citizenship.’’

The group called on younger Nigerians in particular to get involved in the search for a future without the current levels of bitterness.