Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has accused Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, of bias following his assertion that President Bola Tinubu is hellbent on winning the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Wike, who spoke at a media parley on Tuesday, argued that religious leaders undermine their credibility when their commentary was purely negative. 

“If a religious leader is seen taking a side, it becomes difficult for people to see their comments as helpful. Onaiyekan’s political leanings in 2023 were not hidden,” the minister stated.

Acknowledging that constructive criticism is valid, Mr Wike insisted that leaders must also recognise government achievements to remain objective.

He added, “I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan; all of us know, it’s not hidden, whom he supports; everybody knows that. It’s not every time you say things are bad; nobody has heard you say the government has done this well.”

According to the minister, a leader should commend the government when it has done well in certain areas while suggesting areas of improvement. 

“It’s not every time you say things are bad; nobody has heard you say the government has done this well”, he added. 

On Friday, after he joined a delegation of Catholic bishops to meet with Mr Tinubu at Aso Rock, Mr Onaiyekan, in an interview with ARISE TV, said, “The position of Mr President came very clearly in that statement that he made: ‘In politics, all is fair.’ Is that true? If that is what politics is—that in politics everything can be done provided you win elections. That is certainly not correct. There is propriety in everything. That is why we are worried about it.”

The cleric expressed concern that the Tinubu government “is bent on winning by all means, and unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal to win,” alleging that “they are deploying all those means in a way that eventually, even if we had a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.”

Reacting to the interview, the presidency accused the cleric of partisanship and siding with opposition candidate, Peter Obi, who is a Catholic.