Cardinal Onaiyekan denies applauding Feb 25 presidential poll outcome

The Catholic Archbishop, Archdiocese of Abuja, His Eminence John Onaiyekan, has disowned a post on the social media suggesting that he urged Nigerians to accept the results of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The post claimed that Cardinal Onaiyekan, during a homily at the Church of Assumption in Asokoro, Abuja, urged Nigerians to ‘accept the results of the 2023 presidential election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).’

But Cardinal Onaiyekan, through a disclaimer letter dated March 3, 2023 issued by his secretary, Fr Emmanuel Adugba, described the post as misleading.

The letter said that the homily under reference was preached during the 10am Mass on February 26, a day after the presidential election, and before the collation of the results.

It further explained that Cardinal Onaiyekan made the appeal with the belief then shared by most Nigerians that the process and the outcome of the elections will be free, fair, and credible as promised by the INEC chairman.

However, according to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the results turned out to be totally different.

“The author of the post presented it as if His Eminence made the appeal after the result of the presidential election was announced by INEC, thereby making it seem as though His Eminence is appealing to Nigerians to accept the now announced results of an election whose credibility has been called to serious question.

“After a tragically questionable election, His Eminence blatantly refuses to be fraudulently drafted into boosting a non-existent credibility of results and consequent legitimacy of the declared winner.

“His Eminence is a firm lover of peace, but never at the expense of truth and justice,” the letter stated.

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