Wike: Cardinal Onaiyekan Was Not Neutral During 2023 Election

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, is politically impartial, alleging that the cleric took a clear position during the 2023 general election.

Wike made the remarks on Tuesday during his monthly media briefing in Abuja while reacting to the controversy surrounding Onaiyekan’s recent comments following a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

The cardinal had reportedly expressed concern that some individuals around the President were presenting an overly positive assessment of the country’s situation and suggested that Tinubu appeared focused on securing a second term in 2027.

The Presidency, however, criticised Onaiyekan for publicly disclosing details of the closed-door meeting, describing the move as an abuse of privilege.

Reacting, Wike said religious leaders should demonstrate fairness and balance when commenting on government policies and performance, arguing that criticism without acknowledging positive achievements could be interpreted as politically motivated.

“I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan. All of us know—it is not hidden—whom he supports. Everybody knows that,” Wike said.

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The FCT minister maintained that public officials should not be shielded from criticism but stressed that governments should also receive recognition for policies and programmes that have yielded positive results.

“It is not every time you say things are bad. Nobody has heard you say the government has done this well,” he said.
“Commend the government when it has done well in certain areas. Criticise the government and say, ‘Look, you have done this well, but you should improve in these other areas.’”

Wike argued that when a public figure’s comments were consistently critical and failed to acknowledge any positive developments, the government could reasonably conclude that such interventions were driven by political opposition rather than objectivity.

Responding to claims that the Catholic bishops’ position was non-partisan, Wike rejected the assertion, alleging that some religious leaders openly aligned with political interests during the 2023 presidential election.

“Don’t tell me they’re not partisan. You know what happened in the 2023 election. People took sides; religious leaders took sides. It was very open,” he said.

“We know ourselves in this country. We know who belongs to where. Who did they support in 2023? It was very obvious,” Wike added.

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