The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Diocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, is calling on key political actors and security agencies in Nigeria to ensure that the 2027 general elections do not turn the country into a war zone but instead allow the citizens to freely choose their leaders without fear or intimidation.
He also called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, not to allow pressure to prevent him from conducting a free, fair and credible election.
Onaiyekan spoke on Monday in Abuja during a courtesy call on him by the Council of the Wise of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD) led by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, as part of its advocacy engagements ahead of the 2027 elections.
The cleric who recalled the meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, said the President had assured them that INEC was free to conduct the 2027 election.
According to him, that assurance had since been communicated to INEC Chairman urging him not to allow pressure to prevent him from doing his job.
Onaiyekan said, “When we raised concerns about level-playing ground for political parties in the coming election, he said, No, INEC is free. And so we have been telling Professor Amupitan, ‘the President says you are free. Don’t tie your own hand. Do the right thing.’
“The President says you are free. He’s not going to put undue pressure for you to do the wrong thing. So everybody must be responsible for what they do.”
The Cardinal said there should be no excuse for political actors or electoral officials who fail to abide by the rules governing the process, stressing that a credible election did not require extraordinary measures.
“Election is not rocket science. You don’t need Artificial Intelligence (AI). You don’t need the AI to have a free and fair election. We have rules that are practical. Let them do that”, he said.
Speaking on the right of Nigerians to determine who governs them, Onaiyekan said citizens should be allowed to exercise their franchise without interference.
He added, “Elections are once in four years. We forget that as Nigerians, after four years, we have another chance for us as individuals to talk and take our decision about who rules us. They should allow us to enjoy the right to choose who we want to rule us.”
Onaiyekan, who is also a member of the National Peace Committee (NPC), said previous efforts to secure peaceful elections had included the signing of peace accords by political actors, but observed that such agreements were meaningless if those who signed them subsequently failed to honour their commitments.
He said Nigeria’s electoral process had not necessarily improved since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Cardinal Onaiyekan, however, expressed hope that the 2027 elections could be better, urging stakeholders to learn from the problems associated with previous polls.
The Cardinal appealed to security agencies to exercise restraint and professionalism during the elections.
He commended the Council of Wise for reaching out to key stakeholders across the country in ensuring that the 2027 election was peaceful.
Earlier, Ariwoola said the Council of the Wise was reconstituted in June 2026 to continue its intervention and mediation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former CJN said the organization was established against the background of Nigeria’s history of electoral violence and other practices capable of undermining democratic processes.
He recalled that since the 1999 general elections, political contests had, at various times, been marred by hate speech, vote buying, violence, use of thugs and other forms of electoral malpractice.
Ariwoola said the Council of the Wise, established by the Savannah Centre in 2014, had engaged stakeholders ahead of the 2015, 2019 and 2023 elections in an effort to promote peaceful and credible polls.
According to him, the council’s current engagement was aimed at ensuring that political actors and other stakeholders played their roles responsibly ahead of the 2027 elections.
The CJN urged political parties and candidates to ensure that their campaigns were free of rancour, hate speech, inflammatory statements and other utterances capable of instigating violence.
He also appealed to political parties to abide by their constitutions and codes of conduct, while urging candidates and their supporters to comply with electoral laws and guidelines issued by INEC.
The former CJN said candidates aspiring to lead the country should demonstrate exemplary conduct and encourage their supporters to respect the rules of the electoral process.
He called on Onaiyekan to continue using his influence to appeal to politicians and other stakeholders to listen to wise counsel during the campaigns and election.
The Council said it believed Nigerians could demonstrate once again that elections could be conducted peacefully, urging all stakeholders to work collectively towards credible polls.
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