2023: I’ll not vote for Muslim-Muslim ticket —Onaiyekan
Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Archdiocese, says he will personally not vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of Sen Bola Tinubu/Shettima during the 2023 general elections.
Onaiyekan declared this at Ede, Osun State, during the first synod of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo held at Our Lady and St Kizito Pastoral Centre, Oke Gada Ede.
The event has as its theme “The Church As an Agent of Dialogue and Reconciliation In Our Community In Quest For A Just and Peaceful Social Order.”
He said, “I only have one voter’s card and by God’s grace, I will use it. I will not vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, that is my decision.
“The decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket was a political calculation which it thought was the best for it to win the 2023 general election.
“But since it is a political decision of a political party, what the church can do officially is bring out this fact and tell people that they should take their own political decisions individually.
“There is no point telling them not to take such a decision, all you can say is that they will have to accept responsibility for the decisions they have taken.”
According to Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishops Conference has not taken any official decision on the same-faith ticket because there is no need for it.
“You will note that the Catholic Bishops Conference has not taken any action on this Muslim-Muslim ticket of APC.
“When the APC election leadership appointed Plateau Srate Gov Simon Lalong, who is a Catholic, as the Director of Campaign, he took the decision on his own.
“The only time we called him to order was when he arrogated the name of the Pope into the appointment but he immediately tendered an apology which we accepted because he is a member of the Papal Knights.”
Onaiyekan added that the Catholic Church has many members in APC holding vital positions, but the Church would not involve in partisan politics but allow them to take their decisions on their own.
