Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said it is no secret which politician Cardinal John Onaiyekan supports ahead of the 2027 general election.
He argued that comments from religious leaders can lose their neutral appeal when they are perceived to be backing a particular side.
Wike made the remarks on Tuesday during his monthly media chat on TVC News while responding to questions about the role of religious leaders in Nigeria’s political space.
The former Rivers State governor said clerics have the right to express their views on national issues but noted that such interventions often attract scrutiny when there is a widespread belief that the religious leader is aligned with a political interest.
According to him, “If a religious leader is perceived or seen to be taking a side and it’s very clear, it becomes difficult for people to see those comments as helpful or real.”
The minister added that Cardinal Onaiyekan’s political leaning is already known in public circles.
“I’m aware of Cardinal Onaiyekan’s position. It’s not hidden who he supports. Everybody knows that,” Wike said.
He further recalled the events leading up to the 2023 general election, insisting that several religious leaders openly aligned themselves with political interests during the campaign period.
“In 2023, religious leaders took sides. It was very open,” he stated.
Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, remains one of Nigeria’s most prominent Catholic clerics.
Over the years, he has spoken extensively on governance, elections, national security and social justice.
The latest exchange comes against the backdrop of previous comments made by Cardinal Onaiyekan regarding President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the conduct of governance after the 2023 election.
On November 2024, the respected cleric urged President Tinubu to govern for all Nigerians regardless of political affiliation, stressing that leadership should not be limited to supporters of the ruling party.
Speaking during a television interview, Onaiyekan said the President had a responsibility to serve citizens who did not vote for him as much as those who supported his emergence.
“There are Nigerians who did not vote for APC. Granted that APC got the highest number of votes and that is why they have the right to rule us. But they also forget that there are millions of Nigerians who did not vote for the APC,” he said.
The cleric further argued that national leadership should rise above campaign politics.
“Mr President, it’s about time you switched from campaign mode to governance mode. Elections are over. Campaigns are over. You now have to govern and govern the whole of Nigeria and every Nigerian,” Onaiyekan stated.
He also cautioned against a situation where appointments and government benefits are distributed solely on the basis of political loyalty.
“And therefore, the whole system whereby high political offices are given as a reward for those who were political activists, I don’t believe that that is the best way to move the nation forward,” he said.
In one of the most widely discussed parts of the interview, the former Archbishop reminded the President of the responsibility attached to public office.
“I would say, now that you have been declared the President of Nigeria, sit down comfortably on that chair. As a religious leader, I would say God has allowed you on that chair. If God puts you there, you must then know that He is watching you and that He will be asking you what you did on that chair.”
