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HURIWA, CROYN Disagree over Onaiyekan’s Election Petition Remark
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and Congress for Rights Of Yoruba Nationalities (CROYN) yesterday disagreed over the remark of the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Dioceses of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan that it made no sense to inaugurate politicians whose elections were being challenged.
While HURIWA revealed how Onaiyekan’s remark was recommended in the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Commission Reforms in 2008, CROYN claimed that the priest was expected to promote unity, national stability and peace rather than heightening tension and engaging in subtle provocation.
In separate statements by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and CROYN’s National President Abiodun Fanoro, the rights groups expressed divergent positions over Onaiyekan’s position
Onwubiko, specifically, said the position of the cleric “is not in any way out of point as it was part of the recommendations of the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Commission Reforms that should have been incorporated into the Electoral Act, 2022.
While carpeting the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, for faulting Onaiyekan, he said it was unfortunate that Keyamo has suddenly become a defender of injustice, having dined with politicians, wondering where the Keyamo of the activism and civil rights days departed to.
He said: “80-year-old Archbishop cleric has spoken truth to power and this is very courageous of the octogenarian in a country filled with sycophants and hypocrites who form that they are with the masses but yet dine with the oppressors.
“We throw our support for Onaiyekan’s statements, advocating the promulgation of the essential recommendations made by the Justice Muhammadu Uwais electoral commission reforms such as ending litigation before swearing in, and the appointment of INEC chair and commissioners by an independent body outside of the president.”
In its statement, CROYN noted that Onaiyekan, as an eminent religious leader and an elder-statesman, was expected to promote unity, national stability and peace rather than heightening tension and engaging in subtle provocation.
It faulted the priest in a statement by its National President Abiodun Fanoro and General Secretary, Tunde Aiyenumelo yesterday, saying his comment had portrayed as one of the promoters of interim national government.
It said if he could deploy what he believed was a lacuna in the country’s constitution for not providing for the conclusion of election petitions before inauguration, he should have condemned a plot by some prominent Nigerians to install an interim national government.
“We totally believe that the revered cleric has the constitutional and democratic right to belong to any of the registered political parties or cast his vote for any of the presidential candidates apart from the president-elect.
“If his preferred candidate failed to emerge by accepted conditions guiding the process and the exercise is subjected to a generally pre-agreed processes of final determination, neither the winner nor the government in power put in place, it is nothing but a high level of desperation that the cleric is now calling for the subversion of these processes before they fully run out.”
Under our constitution, the statement said May 29 “is part of the process. Onaiyekan’s comment is a continuation of an anti-Tinubu plot by some few, but powerful Christian leaders, who through hate sermons and prophecies did everything to mobilise the Christendom against Tinubu.”
The group admonished Onaiyekan to join General Yakubu Gowon, General Abdulsalam Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan, among others, in their peace campaign and call on the judiciary to be diligent and ensure fairness and justice to all concerned in the election petitions.
HURIWA, CROYN Disagree over Onaiyekan’s Election Petition Remark
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and Congress for Rights Of Yoruba Nationalities (CROYN) yesterday disagreed over the remark of the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Dioceses of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan that it made no sense to inaugurate politicians whose elections were being challenged.
While HURIWA revealed how Onaiyekan’s remark was recommended in the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Commission Reforms in 2008, CROYN claimed that the priest was expected to promote unity, national stability and peace rather than heightening tension and engaging in subtle provocation.
In separate statements by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and CROYN’s National President Abiodun Fanoro, the rights groups expressed divergent positions over Onaiyekan’s position
Onwubiko, specifically, said the position of the cleric “is not in any way out of point as it was part of the recommendations of the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Commission Reforms that should have been incorporated into the Electoral Act, 2022.
While carpeting the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, for faulting Onaiyekan, he said it was unfortunate that Keyamo has suddenly become a defender of injustice, having dined with politicians, wondering where the Keyamo of the activism and civil rights days departed to.
He said: “80-year-old Archbishop cleric has spoken truth to power and this is very courageous of the octogenarian in a country filled with sycophants and hypocrites who form that they are with the masses but yet dine with the oppressors.
“We throw our support for Onaiyekan’s statements, advocating the promulgation of the essential recommendations made by the Justice Muhammadu Uwais electoral commission reforms such as ending litigation before swearing in, and the appointment of INEC chair and commissioners by an independent body outside of the president.”
In its statement, CROYN noted that Onaiyekan, as an eminent religious leader and an elder-statesman, was expected to promote unity, national stability and peace rather than heightening tension and engaging in subtle provocation.
It faulted the priest in a statement by its National President Abiodun Fanoro and General Secretary, Tunde Aiyenumelo yesterday, saying his comment had portrayed as one of the promoters of interim national government.
It said if he could deploy what he believed was a lacuna in the country’s constitution for not providing for the conclusion of election petitions before inauguration, he should have condemned a plot by some prominent Nigerians to install an interim national government.
“We totally believe that the revered cleric has the constitutional and democratic right to belong to any of the registered political parties or cast his vote for any of the presidential candidates apart from the president-elect.
“If his preferred candidate failed to emerge by accepted conditions guiding the process and the exercise is subjected to a generally pre-agreed processes of final determination, neither the winner nor the government in power put in place, it is nothing but a high level of desperation that the cleric is now calling for the subversion of these processes before they fully run out.”
Under our constitution, the statement said May 29 “is part of the process. Onaiyekan’s comment is a continuation of an anti-Tinubu plot by some few, but powerful Christian leaders, who through hate sermons and prophecies did everything to mobilise the Christendom against Tinubu.”
The group admonished Onaiyekan to join General Yakubu Gowon, General Abdulsalam Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan, among others, in their peace campaign and call on the judiciary to be diligent and ensure fairness and justice to all concerned in the election petitions.
