Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of being determined to win the 2027 general election “by all means”.
He warned that such an approach could weaken Nigeria’s democracy. He also expressed doubts about the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite President Tinubu’s assurances that the electoral body is neutral.
The Catholic cleric spoke on Friday during a live interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television.
Onaiyekan said the Federal Government has enormous powers at its disposal. He warned that those powers could be used in ways that undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
According to him, even an election that appears free and fair may fail to reflect the true will of the people if the process is not genuinely transparent.
“We’re worried about the fact that President Tinubu’s administration is bent on winning the 2027 elections by all means,” he said.
“Unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal and they’re deploying all those means in a way that eventually, even with a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.”
The cardinal called for urgent reforms of Nigeria’s electoral system. He said credible elections are essential to the country’s democratic future.
He warned that failure to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections could trigger serious political challenges.
“We gave a warning that if we do not rearrange our election system to make sure that elections are really free, fair and credible, it can lead to difficulties,” he said.
Onaiyekan also cautioned against the emergence of a one-party state. He said such a development would not serve Nigeria’s democratic interests.
He acknowledged that every incumbent president naturally wants to win re-election. However, he insisted that the powers of incumbency should not be used to create an unfair advantage over other candidates.
“We also warned that the country doesn’t gain anything by a one-party state in a so-called democracy,” he said.
“Of course, we are not expecting Mr. President to help the opposition to defeat him. But the point we are raising is that even though the president has all the powers of incumbency, he is in the election. He is a candidate like any other person.”
His comments come as political activities ahead of the 2027 general election continue to gather momentum.
They also come amid growing calls by opposition parties and civil society groups for reforms to strengthen INEC’s independence and improve the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.