• Keyamo faults cleric, says ‘embarrassment to Body of Christ getting too much’

Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, yesterday, said it is uncertain elections are over, given the many cases “still lingering” in court, challenging the outcome.

Onaiyekan, who was a guest on Channels Television’s live programme, Sunrise Daily, said he was waiting on the courts to decide winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

He argued that it does not make much sense to inaugurate when results are still being challenged.

Onaiyekan, therefore, stressed the need for urgent review of Nigeria’s electoral process to allow for inauguration of truly elected representatives of the people.

The Archbishop regretted that the courts are prolonging decision on the presidential poll.

He said: “The election is not yet over. There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation. We have a declared President-elect, whose emergence is being challenged.

“I am entitled to take the position that I am still waiting on the court to determine who won the election. I am one of those who have been saying that it does not make much sense to swear in people when they are still in court.”

On the polity, the cleric said there is need to interrogate what Nigeria truly wants, as it relates governance.

A major question to ask, according to him, is: “Do we really want democracy?”

Onaiyekan maintained that many of the political actors are not interested in civil rule, stating: “They want power by all means.”

He said this accounts for the massive manipulation of the system to undermine wishes of the people.

The cardinal advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinvent with a view to winning confidence of Nigerians and conducting polls that would be acceptable to all.

He, however, urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to immediately halt emigration of young people.

Onaiyekan added that he was looking forward to assess agenda of the incoming administration.

Reacting, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, yesterday, took a swipe at the cleric.

Faulting Onaiyekan’s remarks, he said the “embarrassment to the Body of Christ is getting too much.”

In a statement on his verified Twitter handle, the minister submitted: “Dear daddy Onaiyekan, you know we all respect you a lot, but your political comments are becoming unstatesmanlike.

“A statesman, who doubles as a Man of God, should strive to be fair to all. You didn’t say the same thing when Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari were all sworn in as Presidents when their cases were still before the courts.

“You have chosen to single out this President- elect @officialABAT this time around because the candidate you and your other religious brethren openly supported lost the election and you all feel humiliated and embarrassed.”

“All issues raised against the victory of @officialABAT in court now (whether it is 25% votes in FCT or the fake drug issue, etc) are not different from issues raised against previous Presidents-elect because basically the complaints have always been that the declared victor did not win the election fair and square or was not qualified to contest the election.

No disqualifying issue against a candidate can be greater than other disqualifying issues since a single issue can decide a case against a President-elect. So, why all the fuse now?”

He went on: “It has always been our electoral template since 1999 for the declared winners to be sworn into office in order to avoid a vacuum and not to foist an unconstitutional contraption on the system while the cases are in court.

“My dear daddy, may I respectfully advise that going forward, you and your brethren may consider stepping back from the deep and murky waters of politics and desist from descending into the arena of political conflicts where the children in your congregations find themselves on different sides of political divides, so it would be unfair to them for you to openly take sides.

“The embarrassment to the Body of Christ is getting too much and no politician is worth dragging this dignified body into unnecessary political controversy. Is this too much to ask, daddy?”