Cardinal John Onaiyekan, former archbishop of Abuja, expressed concern that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to win the 2027 elections “by all means,” warning that the resources available to the government could undermine the credibility of the electoral process. Onaiyekan also said people around the president were presenting him with a “rosy picture” of the country that does not reflect the realities confronting many Nigerians. He spoke Friday during the “Prime Time” program on Arise Television, days after the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) met with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
Background of bishops’ meeting
The CBCN delegation, led by its president, Matthew Ndagoso, visited the president Tuesday, during which Ndagoso read the bishops’ address highlighting their concerns about the state of the nation.
Tinubu’s response
Responding to the bishops, Tinubu defended the performance of his administration, saying the economy was stabilizing and that the era of prolonged strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had ended.
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The president also maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was “neutral,” while saying his political opponents were “afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep.”
Onaiyekan on bishops’ message
Speaking on the meeting, Onaiyekan said the bishops’ message to the president was carefully prepared to reflect their assessment of the challenges facing Nigerians. According to him, the bishops made it clear to Tinubu that the country was bleeding and that the economic situation was taking a heavy toll on poor citizens. He said the president and some government officials at the meeting appeared “not looking very happy” as the bishops delivered a message different from what Tinubu was accustomed to hearing. “I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy nor even his colleagues who were there,” Onaiyekan said. “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.”
Atmosphere of meeting
Asked whether the atmosphere during the meeting could be described as frosty, Onaiyekan said the seriousness of the challenges facing the country meant the bishops could not be expected to simply exchange pleasantries with the president. He said Tinubu disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the state of the nation, particularly their position that the country was bleeding and that Nigerians were facing economic hardship. According to Onaiyekan, the president responded by insisting that the country was not bleeding and that the economy was “doing fine.” “Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us,” Onaiyekan said.
Concerns about 2027 elections
The cardinal also raised concerns about the conduct of future elections, particularly the 2027 polls, saying the Catholic bishops were worried about what they perceived as the determination of Tinubu’s government to retain power using the resources available to it. He warned that failure to guarantee free and fair elections in which the choices of Nigerians are respected could create “difficulties” for the country. “We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means,” he added. “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.”
Presidency Fight Back
Reacting on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, dismissed the cardinal’s remarks, arguing that he was expressing the views of the Catholic Church rather than those of Christians generally.
In a post on his X account, Bwala further alleged that the Catholic institutions represented by Onaiyekan had political leanings toward Labour Party’s expected 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He referenced Obi’s “take back your country” statement made during the 2022 election campaign, claiming it was delivered within Catholic circles.
Bwala argued that the cardinal’s comments reflected political interests rather than purely spiritual concerns, adding that not all Catholics supported Obi.
He also defended President Tinubu’s decision to reject the bishops’ assessment, insisting that the President relied on available economic data and official statistics.
According to him, the President was entitled to disagree with the bishops’ conclusions because government figures painted a different picture of the country’s economic performance.
