Catholic Archbishop Emeritus, Onaiyekan Explains Why 2023 Election Won’t Be Business As Usual

If any Nigerian thinks the forthcoming presidential election will follow the trend of the previous ones, such a person obviously needs to reconsider his thought based on the present situation across the country.

This is the position maintained by His Grace, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, who cautioned politicians against any attempt to rig the 2023 general elections.

Onaiyekan, who spoke on Saturday during the celebration of his 40th anniversary as bishop at the Holy Trinity Church, Maitama, Abuja, pointed out what Nigerians should expect in the presidential election scheduled for next month which will be quite different from what we have been experiencing in the previous elections.

 According to him, “With the current yearnings of the people for a better country, the elections will no longer be business as usual.

“As regards to the results of the elections, politicians should desist from any form of manipulation to their favour if not voted for.

“All those who are planning to play games and schemes to rig in order to frustrate the desires of the people as regards the results of the elections should desist from such.

“All of them; whether they are in government or not; they should desist from rigging or causing violence; they should not do it, they should allow this elections to run in a free and fair way.”

He noted that he had no special candidate, adding that the advice was for the politicians to understand that “the mood in which Nigeria now is, is not a mood that they will quietly accept rigged elections.

“For the sake of peace, there will be serious repercussions if anybody doesn’t allow free and fair elections. It won’t be business as usual anymore.

“I want Nigerians to know that they can no longer keep quiet all the time, hoping that things will change, that God will work miracles.”

Onaiyekan advised Nigerians to use their voter’s cards to express their minds.