9th March, 2023
PRESS
RELEASE:
2023 ELECTION : MURIC SLAMS ONAIYEKAN
The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese,
Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has described the victory of President-Elect, Ahmed
Bola Tinubu, as ‘discredited’. However, an Islamic human rights group, the
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the cardinal’s outburst as jaundiced
and disappointing.
MURIC’s
reaction came through a statement circulated to the media on Thursday, 9th
March, 2023 by the Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq
Akintola.
He said :
“The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese,
Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has described the victory of President-Elect, Ahmed
Bola Tinubu, as ‘discredited’. Onaiyekan was quoted as saying, ‘I love peace but
will never endorse Tinubu’s discredited victory to pacify Nigerians’ (https://gazettengr.com/i-love-peace-but-will-never-endorse-tinubus-discredited-victory-to-pacify-nigerians-cardinal-onaiyekan/).
“We are miffed by
Cardinal Onaiyekan’s outburst. It is jaundiced and disappointing. It is
integrity-bruising. He had hitherto occupied a
lofty position of veneration in Muslim circles. He was believed to be the
epitome of moderation and the embodiment of tolerance and fairness. His figure
towered above gymnastic religiousity. But he has now disappointed his
Muslim admirers.
“America, Britain, China, India, African
countries and others have congratulated the winner but Onaiyekan still
considers the victory ‘discredited’. It is astonishing that a man whom the Muslims
used to consider as the only objective Christian leader who is far from the
tramadolised crowd has let them down.
“Onaiyekan
should have advised opposition candidates among the winners of Senate and House
of Representatives elections who trooped out to collect their return
certificates on Tuesday and Wednesday to boycott the event. Or is it Tinubu’s
victory alone that was ‘discredited’?
“Leaders must choose their words very
carefully. Whoever wants to be judgemental must not be selective. Those who
come to equity must come with clean hands. How can the election be ‘discredited’
for Tinubu as a winner but ‘credible’ for winners among members of the
opposition?
“Better still, the Cardinal
should have told the opposition, particularly his anointed candidate, to boycott
the election ab initio. Cardinal Onaiyekan is crying over spilt milk. It
is useless locking the gate after the horse has bolted. All the political
parties that participated in the election are already involved.
“We do not expect a
leader of Onaiyekan’s status to manifest bitterness while licking his wounds. Nigerians
understand what happened. Without conducting a census based on creed, the
cardinal had shared the delusional belief that Christians outnumber Muslims in
Nigeria. Of course he learned the hard way.
“It was on that basis
that he encouraged the brazen confrontation of the Muslim-Muslim ticket (https://tribuneonlineng.com/i-will-never-vote-for-tinubu-apc-for-flying-muslim-muslim-ticket-says-onaiyekan/).
There is bound to be shock and aftershock after a political tsunami.
“It is our considered
opinion that Cardinal Onaiyekan’s statement is designed to massage the ego of
Christian leaders with all their false soothsayers. Instead of dissipating his
energy on denying the reality, we actually expected Onaiyekan to identify and
assemble those who misled Nigerian Christians with their false predictions and
ridiculous prognostications for some home truths.
“Apart
from those who foresaw victory for opposition figures, a pastor told Nigerians that
there would be no election at all in 2023. He said it was God who told him. We
know his name. We have the evidence. We kept quiet at the time because we knew
that he was only discrediting himself.
“It was these false prophesies that filled many
Nigerian Christians (not all) with false hope which eventually led to
frustration. These are the people Onaiyekan should be tutoring at this stage. He
should be speaking against Christian entitlement mentality in Nigeria. He
should invite those who gave false predictions for counselling on how not to
lie against God.
“Jeremiah
14:14 said, ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor
spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless
thing, and the deceit of their heart.’
“This is from the same Bible to which all
Nigerians have access. Why are our prophesy-addicted pastors determined to
challenge what God says in the Bible and why have Christian leaders like
Cardinal Onaiyekan refused to call them to order? We did not expect the much respected
cardinal to tow the path of those suffering from intellectual poverty.
“MURIC appreciates many other Christians who are not swayed by
emotions and false predictions. They are pragmatists and they know what
actually happened. The Christian candidate was only acceptable in the South East,
South South and some parts of North Central.
“Besides, challenging
the North over the majority status question was a fatal mistake. Junketing from
one church to another while ignoring the mosque was politically naive. But the electoral
suicidal statement was asking the church to ‘take back your country’.
“We are surprised that Onaiyekan left pastors
who are misleading Nigerians with false predictions and started blaming the
Muslim candidate whose Imams never prophesy. Or has Onaiyekan ever seen or
heard of an Islamic scholar prophesying? He is idolizing fiction and demonising
reality. Who did this to Nigeria?
“Instead of acknowledging Tinubu’s superior
political strategy as exhibited in his choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket and instead
of putting his house in order and de-escalating tension, Onaiyekan ignored the spiritual
decay in Christendom to demarket a well-deserved victory won by Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu. We are
constrained to ask, et tu Onaiyekan?”
#EtTuOnaiyekan
#OnaiyekanFaceReality
Professor Ishaq
Akintola,
Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
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