Bishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has leveled allegations against Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming that he misled Nigerians and displayed a lack of transparency in the management of the 2023 elections.
Speaking to reporters during the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Jesuit Memorial College in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Cardinal expressed strong dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country.
He emphasized the need for accountability and a significant shift in the nation’s approach, stating, “We should refuse to agree that this is a country where certificates are forged and it is okay. We should refuse to accept a situation where elections are rigged and you are told to go to court.
“These things have consequences. Jesus says you shall know the truth and the truth will make you free. INEC should accept that they have a very heavy trust deficit,” he said at the Saturday event in the Rivers State capital.
The Cardinal further stressed the importance of admitting when things go awry, saying, “Nothing wrong with admitting did not go so well. If we don’t tell the truth, we will not move forward.
“When I heard Professor Mahmood on television, even yesterday, telling us that everything went perfectly well, I shed tears. He knows he was not telling the truth.”
The Cardinal maintained that he would keep praying for Nigeria in the face of mounting challenges
“I am a religious person and I keep praying to God to forgive us and to show us the truth because if we tell the truth, things will move fast. Nigerians are wonderful and I still hope that things will move fast.”
“Whatever the judges may decide, whatever courts may say, at the end of the day, the truth will make us free,” he said.