*Bent On Winning 2027 Elections By All Means

THE Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu disagreed with concerns raised by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) concerning Nigeria’s economy and security.

    Onaiyekan said on a television programme that while the bishops told the President that the economy was worsening the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians, Tinubu insisted that his administration was on the right path.

    The clergyman said though the bishops did not expect the President to agree with their assessment, they believed it was their responsibility to present the realities confronting Nigerians, adding: “We told him the economy is not helping our poor people; he told us the economy is doing fine. He made it clear that he did not agree with us.” 

    He explained that the bishops’ position reflected extensive consultations and was not politically motivated, stressing that they were speaking out as religious leaders concerned about the welfare of Nigerians.

    Onaiyekan also expressed concern that too few people within government were willing to tell the President the truth, a development he described as one of the country’s major challenges.

    He defended the bishops’ warning against the emergence of a one-party dominant state, saying democracy requires credible elections and a level playing field, even as he urged reforms to strengthen public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that doubts over the Commission’s neutrality would remain as long as its leadership was appointed by the President.

    He urged Tinubu to focus on addressing the country’s pressing challenges and protecting Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

    The Cardinal said Tinubu and his officials present at the meeting were “not looking very happy” when the bishops told the President that the country was bleeding and the economy not helping poor citizens.

    Onaiyekan said the speech was different from what the President usually listens to, noting: “I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy nor even his colleagues who were there.

     “We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people. 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.

    “Indeed, we have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. That is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing he wanted to hear and the reply shows very clearly.”

    Asked if the meeting was fairly frosty, Onaiyekan said when the country is bleeding, a polite meeting with the President cannot be expected, saying Tinubu responded that the country was not bleeding and that the economy was doing fine, adding: “Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us.”

    The Cardinal said the Catholic bishops were worried that the Tinubu government was “bent” on winning elections by all means, using the resources at its disposal.

    He stated: “We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means.

     “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.”