Should Clerics Stay Above Partisan Politics? A Critique of Onaiyekan’s Comments

Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s recent television comments on the Tinubu administration have renewed concerns about whether senior religious leaders should take positions that appear aligned with opposition narratives. He questioned the political environment ahead of 2027 and suggested that the government was prepared to retain power by any means. These are serious allegations, but the author argues that they were made without sufficient publicly available evidence. The author also cites Onaiyekan’s criticism of the 2023 election and President Tinubu’s inauguration while petitions were still before the courts. Although the courts later upheld the declared result, the author believes the Cardinal did not show the same prominence in acknowledging those rulings. Religious leaders should challenge injustice and poor governance, but they must do so with consistency. A bishop’s moral authority depends on being seen as a conscience for all sides, rather than as an unofficial voice for any political camp.

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