Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stated yesterday that Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, was not neutral in the 2023 general elections, rejecting claims that the cleric’s recent critiques of the presidency were unbiased.
Onaiyekan, in an interview with Arise TV, mentioned that the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, during its meeting with President Bola Tinubu last Friday, highlighted the difficulties Nigerians are experiencing due to his government’s policies and noted that his administration seems preoccupied with securing a second term in 2027.
This, nonetheless, was not well received by the presidency, as presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala stated that Cardinal Onaiyekan’s comments did not represent the views of all Christians in Nigeria, claiming that the Catholic nation supports Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, for the 2027 election.
During his monthly media briefing observed in Abuja yesterday, Wike contended that religious leaders must exhibit greater impartiality in their public remarks, asserting that one-sided critiques of the government, without recognition of its successes, will ultimately be perceived as political.
“I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan; all of us know whom he supports; it’s not hidden; everybody knows that,” he said.
The minister stressed that while government should not be shielded from criticism, credit should also be given where it was due.
He added, “It is not every time you say things are bad; nobody has heard you say the government has done this well. Commend government when government has done well in certain areas; criticize government and say, Look, you have done this well, but you should improve in these other areas.’’
Wike stated that if a public figure’s interventions are consistently negative, the government would correctly conclude that the criticism was motivated by opposition rather than objectivity.
The minister denied the premise that the bishops’ position was nonpartisan, citing what he described as open political alignment among religious leaders during the last presidential election. “Don’t tell me they’re not partisan. You know what happened in the 2023 elections. People took sides; religious leaders took sides; it was very open.
“I would be stupid to sit here for anybody to tell me this person is impartial. No. We know ourselves in this country; we know who belongs to where. Who did they support in 2023? It was very obvious,” he added.
He also reprimanded the Catholic Bishops over their demand on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to maintain impartiality in the 2027 polls, asking the clergy to stay objective in their judgment of the electoral umpire.
“How did the Catholic Bishops come to the conclusion that INEC is biased? What are your facts? What happened for you to prove it? Now, if you are taking that kind of position, it is delicate because that association is a strong association.
“Now, when you come to the public to make that kind of accusation that the electoral umpire is biased, you must have your facts. This is why we say they are biased. Look at this, look at that.
‘’But if you just come to the general public and say, ‘INEC is biased,’ you are sending a signal to the public because people will say, ‘For a whole Catholic bishop to say INEC is biased, then something is wrong. We must be very careful about it, and that’s why President Tinubu says, “No, no, you can’t say they are biased.”
