Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has urged the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission and other electoral stakeholders to urgently restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process, warning that growing voter apathy could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
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Onaiyekan spoke on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he said the declining turnout recorded in recent elections was a clear sign that many Nigerians no longer trust the system.
According to the Catholic cleric, democracy can only produce good governance when elections are free, fair and credible.
“Genuine democracy is built on free and fair elections. Any democracy that cannot conduct free, fair and credible elections cannot produce good governance. Elections have consequences. Bad elections lead to bad governance, and bad governance leads to misery among the people,” he said.
Onaiyekan warned that many Nigerians may stay away from the polls in 2027 if they believe the outcome has already been predetermined.
“My fear is that if it becomes very clear to Nigerians that, no matter what happens, the APC will win, then most people won’t even bother to go to the election. And even if the government, the real power, wins, it will not bring a real victory. It is not going to be possible to deliver good government,” he stated.
The Cardinal maintained that Nigeria had yet to conduct what he described as a truly free and fair election, stressing that restoring trust in the electoral process should be a priority for both government and electoral institutions.
He said it was in the interest of the government, which currently holds power, to ensure that citizens regain confidence in elections and are encouraged to participate.
“I think it is in our interest, and in the interest of the government, which has all the powers, to make sure that the trust of the people in the electoral process is restored so that we can get at least 50 per cent of Nigerians voting. If the electoral field is seen to be fair and equal for everybody, then people will know that their votes will count,” he said.
Onaiyekan noted that unlike military administrations, democratic governments claim legitimacy from the people and must therefore be accountable to citizens through credible elections.
“When we were under military rule, we didn’t talk about elections, and the military boys who were ruling us didn’t claim to be ruling in our name. Now we are under democracy, and the rulers say they are governing in our name. We can’t keep quiet when people claiming to be working in our name are not,” he stated.
The former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja also renewed his call for comprehensive electoral reforms, arguing that credible elections depend not only on the independence of INEC but also on the conduct of security agencies deployed for election duties.
According to him, even where INEC is neutral, the outcome of an election can still be affected by the behaviour of security operatives.
“Even if INEC is neutral, the election outcome is also affected by the activities and performance of the security agents who claim to be securing the election but often end up intimidating people,” he said.
Onaiyekan also advocated a review of the process for appointing INEC’s leadership, saying the current arrangement raises questions about the commission’s independence.
“We know that the government in power appoints INEC. We have to figure a way around that because if the government in power appoints INEC, then it is difficult to have a fair contest unless you have a very strong INEC chairman who decides to stand up against all pressures,” he added.
Speaking on the August 15 Osun State governorship election, Onaiyekan, who recently led the National Peace Committee in facilitating the signing of a peace accord by political parties, acknowledged that such agreements had not always prevented electoral violence but insisted that they remained necessary.
He appealed to political actors in Osun to conduct themselves peacefully and allow voters to exercise their democratic rights without intimidation.
“We are only praying and hoping that peace will prevail and that the ordinary people will be allowed to cast their votes while politicians hold back and do not destroy the entire process because of their own political ambitions,” he said.
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