Lagos — Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has accused many critics who labelled former President Goodluck Jonathan “clueless” of now occupying positions of power.
Oritsejafor made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today while defending his past support for Jonathan and responding to criticisms that insecurity and corruption flourished under the former administration.
“Where are those people now? Are they not the same people today who are in power?” he asked, adding that protesters who opposed Jonathan, particularly in Lagos, are now government officials. “Now, the people who sponsored all those protests… many of them are the people in power today. So, now they have the clue, but look at where Nigeria is now.”
When asked if he regretted supporting Jonathan in the 2015 election, Oritsejafor replied, “No, I don’t.”
He also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying it has worsened the country’s problems and urging the president to reassess his ability to address Nigeria’s challenges. “I would not sit here categorically and tell him resign. But I think what I would say to him is, look, don’t pretend to know what to do when you don’t know what to do,” he said.
The cleric questioned the government’s capacity to reverse the nation’s decline and dismissed the “Renewed Hope” slogan, saying many Nigerians have lost confidence amid economic hardship and insecurity. He urged Tinubu not to seek a second term: “Don’t begin to dream of coming back to continue this same mess.”
