Cardinal John Onaiyekan, former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, has cautioned that President Bola Tinubu may not retain power in 2027 if his administration continues on its current policy trajectory.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja during a public lecture organized by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Onaiyekan emphasized the widening disconnect between the government and the masses.
“My advice to Mr. President is simple: understand what Nigerians are truly going through,” the cardinal said. “The praise singers around him are not telling him the truth. He needs to know how people in places like Mpape survive on meagre wages.”
Onaiyekan pointed to the struggles of families surviving on ₦30,000 monthly salaries, warning that public dissatisfaction has significantly worsened in the past two years.
‘If policies remain unchanged, Tinubu won’t survive a fair election’
The cleric advised the president to pivot towards people-centred policies that uplift the poor, warning that without such a shift, a genuinely free and fair election could see Tinubu voted out.
“If he continues this way till the end of his term, and we have a truly free and fair election, he will not win,” Onaiyekan stated. “People will not re-elect a government that’s not improving their lives.”
He urged the president to focus on delivering good governance, tackling insecurity, improving the economy, and confronting corruption.
“Now that the elections and court battles are over, he should stop worrying about legitimacy and start governing effectively,” he added.
