Archbishop Onaiyekan Kicks Against Swearing In Tinubu Before Tribunal’s Verdict

John Onaiyekan, the archbishop of the Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, has stated that it “makes no sense” to swear in Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president-elect before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s hearing is concluded.

Recall that the main opposition People’s Democratic Party candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and Tinubu, had contested the results of Tinubu’s victory on February 25.

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While the hearing’s start date has been set for May 8, 2023, work has continued in full swing to get the next president-elect inaugurated and sworn in.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Archbishop Onaiyekan, described the status of the election process as “anomalous”, adding that he was still waiting for the court to declare the winner of the election.

He went on to say that the election process needed to be reviewed since it would make it simpler for a winner to emerge, be sworn in, and have support from the populace. He also expressed concern about the country’s ongoing voting system disputes.

“There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation. We have a president-elect whose election is being challenged and the court is handling it.

“I’m still waiting for the court to tell me who won the election. It doesn’t make much sense to be swearing in people when they are still in court. I know it has happened with governors, but the outcome has not been the best of all cases.

“I think we need to review our election process, so we do have a winner who will be sworn in and whom everybody would rally around. It is a pity that it is taking longer for the court to come to its decision.

“My problem is that the whole system of our election must be properly reviewed so that it would be easier for winners to emerge according to the wishes of the people. It is not right to have a system that is constantly contested. We should find out why is every election being contested.”