Why I’m Worried, Not Too Confident About 2023 Elections – Onaiyekan

Why I’m Worried, Not Too Confident About 2023 Elections – Onaiyekan

Catholic Arch Bishop Emeritus John Cardinal Onaiyekan has expressed concern about attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities, saying he is not optimistic about the 2023 general elections.

The 2023 general elections are scheduled to take place between February and March 2023, but many electoral umpire offices have been attacked, primarily in the country’s east, while non-state actors hold sway in many northern communities.

Onaiyekan expressed pessimism about the elections on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, citing the continuous attacks on INEC offices.

While lamenting election-related violence across the country, Onaiyekan, a member of the National Peace Committee, stated that politicians and their supporters were not abiding by the peace treaty they signed.

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“I will be frank with you that I am worried and not too confident because the performance of the political parties and their followers are often at variance with what is expected of them; what they signed during the peace accord.

“The peace accord simply spelt out what the politician should do; simple things that politicians should be civil when they carry out their campaign, they should not engage in hate speech, they should not tell lies against one another, they should not tell lies about what they will do or tell lies about what they have done when we know they have not done them.

“We are looking for a campaign that will be issue-based, respectful and truthful and objective so that Nigerians listening to them will be able to make up their minds.

“The question is when the rules are not observed, who is it that will insist on accountability? There is too much impunity, a lot of people getting away with things they ought not to do. INEC is doing its best but there is a limit to what it can do.

“We are also seeing other events taking place in terms of violent events, burning of INEC offices, killings and those kinds of things making our society and communities unstable and we are wondering if we can continue like this into a free, fair and credible election.

“And who is to restrain the hands of all these violent actors? Those of us who are neither in the security department nor even the political arena are looking on and often we don’t know what to say.”

He stated that Nigerians want a government that will uphold truth and justice, as well as one that will provide them with a decent job that will earn them a decent living.

Onaiyekan chastised politicians for making promises to Nigerians but failing to keep them.

He stated that the country’s problem is not one of ethnicity or religion, and he questioned the sincerity of politicians who use religion and ethnicity to gain votes.

He stated that religious leaders in the country have been working hard to foster mutual respect and understanding, and that they are attempting to instill this in the minds of their followers.

He pleaded with politicians to stop telling lies in order to win votes and to abandon the must-win mentality.

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