—Urges politicians to drop personal ambitions, embrace simple arithmetic of coalition
—Says You Can’t Defeat Tinubu Divided
Former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has lashed out at opposition leaders plotting to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027, warning that their failure to forge a united front will hand victory to the ruling party by default.
Speaking on the *Naija Unfiltered Podcast*, the revered cleric cautioned that opposition figures who individually nurse presidential ambitions are fatally weakening their collective strength by splitting the anti-establishment vote.
“Five people saying this government is not good, and each one says it’s me who will rule—they don’t know arithmetic,” Onaiyekan said.
He warned that allowing multiple opposition candidates to run independently would inadvertently secure an easy win for the incumbent, despite widespread public dissatisfaction with the current administration.
“If five of you are opposing one man, and you are telling all a single, credible alternative capable of mounting a formidable challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Nigerians, he stressed, need a united alternative rather than a cacophony of competing voices.
Shifting his focus to the electorate, Onaiyekan encouraged citizens dissatisfied with the country’s current trajectory to leverage their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to hold leaders accountable, describing elections as the ultimate constitutional tool to appraise those in power.
He also cautioned against cynicism and a loss of faith in the democratic process, declaring that Nigeria has moved past the era of military intervention. The primary task ahead of 2027, he concluded, is to ensure voters have credible alternatives and the unhindered freedom to choose their leaders.
