*Says Nigerians should refuse to agree with certificate forgery
By KEMI KASUMU
“We should refuse to agree that this is a country where certificates are forged and it is okay. We should refuse to accept a situation where elections are rigged, and you are told to go to court. These things have consequences.
Amidst legitimacy questions still characterising the presidency of Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and many governors that emerged from the February 25 and March 18 elections seven and six months after, respectively, the Chairman of the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, took a heat at close range on Saturday for his alleged dishonesty in the conduct of the should-have-been Nigerians’ easiest exercise for correcting the ills in the governance of their nation.
The heat was coming from no other than the Bishop Emeritus of the Catholic Church Abuja Diocese, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, as he slammed the INEC boss for misleading Nigerians and not being honest in his conduct of the 2023 elections.
The Cardinal spoke to Journalist on Saturday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Jesuit Memorial College, it was gathered.
Onaiyekan accused Mahmood of not telling Nigerians the truth when he knew things did not go well.
The cleric, however, insisted that the truth prevail even as the opposition was challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the court.
“We should refuse to agree that this is a country where certificates are forged and it is okay. We should refuse to accept a situation where elections are rigged, and you are told to go to court. These things have consequences. Jesus says you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Accept that they have a very heavy trust deficit.
“Nothing wrong with admitting that things did not go so well. If we don’t tell the truth, we will not move forward.
“I shed tears when I heard Professor Mahmood on television, even yesterday, telling us that everything went perfectly well. He knows he was not telling the truth.”
The Cardinal maintained that he would pray for Nigeria to forgive and show the nation the truth.
“I am religious, and I keep praying to God to forgive us and show us the truth because if we tell the truth, things will move fast. Nigerians are wonderful, and I still hope things will move quickly.”
“Whatever the judges may decide, whatever courts may say, at the end of the day, the truth will make us free,” Onaiyekan added.
