I’m aware of who he’s supporting – Wike reacts to Cardinal Onaiyekan’s position on Tinubu + Video

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration as partisan politics, claiming the cleric’s political alignment is open to public knowledge.

Speaking during a monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike stated that the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja lacks impartiality, alleging that he and other religious leaders openly took political sides during the 2023 general elections.

Wike further claimed that the cleric is maintaining this bias ahead of the 2027 polls.

His reaction came on the heels of the controversy that followed Onaiyekan’s comments after a recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

Following the meeting, the cardinal said in an interview that people around President Tinubu were presenting a “rosy picture” of the country to him and suggested that the President was focused on securing victory in the 2027 presidential election.

The Presidency subsequently faulted Onaiyekan for disclosing details of the closed-door meeting, describing the action as an abuse of privilege.

Reacting to the development, Wike argued that public comments from religious leaders should reflect balance, warning that persistent criticism without acknowledging government achievements could be viewed as politically motivated.

“If a religious leader is perceived or seen to be taking a side, which is very clear, it is very difficult for people to begin to see those comments as being helpful,” he said.

“I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan; all of us know, it’s not hidden, whom he supports; everybody knows that.”

The FCT minister said while it was appropriate to criticise government where necessary, leaders should also recognise areas where progress had been made.

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

“The point I am trying to make is that, as a leader, commend government when government has done well in certain areas; criticise government and say, look, you have done this well, but you should improve in these other areas.”

He added that if public interventions from a respected figure were consistently negative, the government would naturally conclude that the criticism stemmed from political opposition rather than objectivity.

When reminded that the bishops’ position was not partisan, Wike disagreed, insisting that religious leaders openly aligned with candidates during the last 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.

“I would be stupid to sit here for anybody to tell me this person is impartial. No. We know ourselves in this country; we know who belongs to where. Who did they support in 2023? It was very obvious,” he added.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖