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The Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has cautioned the Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, over his stance against swearing in of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on May 29.
The respected Christian cleric had sparked outrage among the fanbase of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after he disapproved of swearing in Tinubu while his victory in the February 25 presidential election is still being challenged at Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
It'd be recalled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar as well as Peter Obi and his Labour Party, have separately approached the PEPT to challenge the election that produced the APC candidate as the President-elect.
They're seeking among others the disqualification of Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima and an outright cancellation of the election over claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to comply with its own guidelines for the exercise.
While appearing on a Channels Television program, Sunrise Daily on Thursday, May 4, 2023, Onaiyekan implied that it does not make sense to swear in Tinubu when there are issues to be settled in court.
“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," the cleric argued.
Reacting to Onaiyekan's position on Tinubu's victory, Keyamo, who was the APC presidential campaign council spokesman, asked the revered cleric to desist from embarrassing the Body of Christ.
The Minister said this in a statement shared on his Twitter handle on Thursday evening where he also reminded the Bishop that the Nigerian constitution is clear on how election petitions should be handled.
Keyamo's words: “Dear daddy Onaiyekan, you know we all respect you a lot, but your political comments are becoming unstatesmanlike.
“A statesman who doubles as a Man of God should strive to be fair to all. You didn’t say the same thing when Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari were all sworn in as Presidents when their cases were still before the courts.
'You have chosen to single out this President- Elect @officialABA this time around because the candidate you and your other religious brethren openly supported lost the election and you all feel humiliated and embarrassed. All issues raised against the victory of @officialABAT in court now (whether it is 25% votes in FCT or the fake drug issue, etc), are not different from issues raised against previous Presidents-elect because basically the complaints have always been that the declared victor did not win the election fair and square or was not qualified to contest the election. No disqualifying issue against a candidate can be greater than other disqualifying issues since a single issue can decide a case against a President-elect.
“So, why all the fuse now? It has always been our electoral template since 1999 for the declared winners to be sworn into office in order TO AVOID A VACUUM and not to foist an unconstitutional contraption on the system whist the cases are in court.
“My dear daddy, may I respectfully advise that going forward, you and your brethren may consider stepping back from the deep and murky waters of politics and desist from descending into the arena of political conflicts where your children in your congregations find themselves on different sides of political divides, so it would be unfair to them for you to openly take sides.
“The embarrassment to the Body of Christ is getting too much and no politician is worth dragging this dignified body into unnecessary political controversy. Is this too much to ask, Daddy?”