The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has faulted Catholic Bishops over their call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain neutrality in the 2027 elections.
Wike said this on Tuesday during a media chat which was held in Abuja, asking the clerics to remain objective in their assessment 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? Now, if you are taking that kind of position, it is delicate because that association is a strong association,” the minister said during the chat.
“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 Bishops to say INEC is biased, then something is wrong. We must be very careful about it, and that’s why President (Tinubu) say, ‘No, no, you can’t say they are biased.’”
Last Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu had received the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
During the visit, the clerics asked for a credible election next year, calling for the strengthening of democratic institutions ahead of the polls. The comment came amid claims by opposition parties that the electoral umpire and other institutions of government are tools of intimidation.
But during the visit, Tinubu told the Catholic Bishops that INEC is neutral, dismissing claims of the body being used to hunt political opponents.
“I asked for this job. I’m in it. Those who will take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and it’s equal opportunity,” Tinubu said.
“INEC, you mentioned, is neutral. They’ve never, never intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolves, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the companies they keep, not me. I’m ready, but I won’t give them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me and rope me. No, we wrestle each other to the finishing point.”
Following the visit, a former Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, said President Tinubu was unhappy with the Catholic Bishops’ message.
According to Onaiyekan, the clerics had told the president that Nigerians are facing economic difficulties and that the country is bleeding.
His comment immediately triggered a backlash from the presidency, with one of Tinubu’s spokespersons, Daniel Bwala, claiming that Onaiyekan is being political.
Bwala said the cleric’s remark did not reflect the opinions of all Christians in Nigeria and claimed that the Catholic Church was “rooting for” Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election.
Wike also shared a similar sentiment, accusing Onaiyekan of being partisan.
“I’m aware of Cardinal Onaiyekan’s position. It’s not hidden who he supports. Everybody knows that.
