2027: Onaiyekan warns Tinubu’s push to win ‘by all means’ threatens democracy

In a blistering critique of the ruling administration, Cardinal John Onaiyekan has warned that President Bola Tinubu’s government is determined to secure victory in the 2027 general elections “by all means,” leveraging vast state machinery in a manner that threatens to render public votes irrelevant.

Speaking during a live television interview following a delegation meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, the Archbishop Emeritus expressed alarm over the administration’s “win at all costs” political disposition.

“We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means, and unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal to win,” Onaiyekan stated. “They are deploying all those means in a way that eventually, even if we had a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.”

The cleric criticised the administration’s political philosophy, rejecting the President’s assertion that “in politics, all is fair.” Onaiyekan countered that democratic governance demands moral boundaries, fairness, and strict limits on incumbency power.

A central focus of Onaiyekan’s critique centered on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He argued that public confidence in the electoral umpire will remain compromised as long as the sitting President retains the sole prerogative to appoint its leadership. To ensure true neutrality, he advocated for constitutional reforms that transfer appointment powers to an independent entity.

The cardinal’s public disclosure follows a tense Aso Villa encounter where Catholic bishops presented a stark assessment of national issues, highlighting severe insecurity, economic hardship, and the danger of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state. President Tinubu flatly rejected the delegation’s evaluation, maintaining that his economic policies were making progress and defending his political strategy.

The Presidency subsequently fired back at Onaiyekan, accusing him of breaching the confidentiality of a high-level meeting and arguing that the bishops are not the sole custodians of truth regarding the state of the nation.

Onaiyekan emphasised that the Catholic hierarchy holds no political ambitions, but was fulfilling a moral duty to give voice to the suffering of ordinary citizens. He urged the President to protect democratic safeguards and guarantee a level playing field ahead of 2027.