The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on Thursday criticised the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, for describing the victory of President-Elect within the 2023 election, Bola Tinubu, as ‘discredited’.
MURIC’s response was contained in an announcement despatched to POLITICS NIGERIA by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
Onaiyekan had labelled the end result of the 2023 election as “tragically questionable outcomes”.
However reacting, MURIC described the Cardinal’s ‘outburst’ as jaundiced and disappointing.
MURIC’s assertion reads: “The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese, Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has described the victory of President-Elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, as ‘discredited’. Onaiyekan was quoted as saying, ‘I like peace however won’t ever endorse Tinubu’s discredited victory to pacify Nigerians’
“We’re miffed by Cardinal Onaiyekan’s outburst. It’s jaundiced and disappointing. It’s integrity-bruising. He had hitherto occupied a lofty place of veneration in Muslim circles. He was believed to be the epitome of moderation and the embodiment of tolerance and equity. His determine towered above gymnastic religiousity. However he has now disenchanted his Muslim admirers.
“America, Britain, China, India, African international locations and others have congratulated the winner however Onaiyekan nonetheless considers the victory ‘discredited’. It’s astonishing {that a} man whom the Muslims used to think about as the one goal Christian chief who is much from the tramadolised crowd has allow them to down.
“Onaiyekan ought to have suggested opposition candidates among the many winners of Senate and Home of Representatives elections who trooped out to gather their return certificates on Tuesday and Wednesday to boycott the occasion. Or is it Tinubu’s victory alone that was ‘discredited’?
“Leaders should select their phrases very fastidiously. Whoever needs to be judgemental should not be selective. Those that come to fairness should include clear arms. How can the election be ‘discredited’ for Tinubu as a winner however ‘credible’ for winners amongst members of the opposition?
“Higher nonetheless, the Cardinal ought to have instructed the opposition, notably his anointed candidate, to boycott the election ab initio. Cardinal Onaiyekan is crying over spilt milk. It’s ineffective locking the gate after the horse has bolted. All of the political events that participated within the election are already concerned.
“We don’t anticipate a frontrunner of Onaiyekan’s standing to manifest bitterness whereas licking his wounds. Nigerians perceive what occurred. With out conducting a census based mostly on creed, the cardinal had shared the delusional perception that Christians outnumber Muslims in Nigeria. In fact he realized the onerous means.
“It was on that foundation that he inspired the brazen confrontation of the Muslim-Muslim ticket. There may be certain to be shock and aftershock after a political tsunami.
“It’s our thought-about opinion that Cardinal Onaiyekan’s assertion is designed to therapeutic massage the ego of Christian leaders with all their false soothsayers. As an alternative of dissipating his vitality on denying the fact, we really anticipated Onaiyekan to establish and assemble those that misled Nigerian Christians with their false predictions and ridiculous prognostications for some house truths.
“Aside from those that foresaw victory for opposition figures, a pastor instructed Nigerians that there could be no election in any respect in 2023. He mentioned it was God who instructed him. We all know his title. We’ve the proof. We saved quiet on the time as a result of we knew that he was solely discrediting himself.
“It was these false prophesies that crammed many Nigerian Christians (not all) with false hope which ultimately led to frustration. These are the folks Onaiyekan needs to be tutoring at this stage. He needs to be talking in opposition to Christian entitlement mentality in Nigeria. He ought to invite those that gave false predictions for counselling on how to not lie in opposition to God.
“Jeremiah 14:14 mentioned, ‘The prophets prophesy lies in My title. I’ve not despatched them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false imaginative and prescient, divination, a nugatory factor, and the deceit of their coronary heart.’
“That is from the identical Bible to which all Nigerians have entry. Why are our prophesy-addicted pastors decided to problem what God says within the Bible and why have Christian leaders like Cardinal Onaiyekan refused to name them to order? We didn’t anticipate the a lot revered cardinal to tow the trail of these affected by mental poverty.
“MURIC appreciates many different Christians who are usually not swayed by feelings and false predictions. They’re pragmatists and so they know what really occurred. The Christian candidate was solely acceptable within the South East, South South and a few elements of North Central.
“Moreover, difficult the North over the bulk standing query was a deadly mistake. Junketing from one church to a different whereas ignoring the mosque was politically naive. However the electoral suicidal assertion was asking the church to ‘take again your nation’.
“We’re shocked that Onaiyekan left pastors who’re deceptive Nigerians with false predictions and began blaming the Muslim candidate whose Imams by no means prophesy. Or has Onaiyekan ever seen or heard of an Islamic scholar prophesying? He’s idolizing fiction and demonising actuality. Who did this to Nigeria?
“As an alternative of acknowledging Tinubu’s superior political technique as exhibited in his alternative of a Muslim-Muslim ticket and as an alternative of placing his home so as and de-escalating stress, Onaiyekan ignored the non secular decay in Christendom to demarket a well-deserved victory received by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We’re constrained to ask, et tu Onaiyekan?”