Onaiyekan urges Ndigbo to choose president without governor's influence

The former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has said that the people of the South-East should be free to pick their own presidential candidate without any interference from state governors.

Onaiyekan made this statement on Thursday during an interview with Afia TV in Enugu. He was responding to the recent comments made by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo about how the Igbo should vote in the 2027 presidential election.

In recent months, Soludo has been telling Ndigbo to avoid what he calls "wasting" their votes. He has also been promoting the idea of strategic political engagement by the South-East. Soludo has openly supported President Bola Tinubu for the upcoming election.

When asked about Soludo’s stance, Onaiyekan said he was not aware of what the governor told the Igbo. He emphasized that voters should be allowed to make their own choices.

"I don’t know what Soludo has told the Ndigbo. All I can say is that Ndigbo should be allowed to freely choose who should be their president," he said.

Onaiyekan argued that governors, even though they are elected, should not control how citizens vote during elections. He said, "It is not the duties of governors to teach, to tell people how they should vote."

He pointed out that governors will also have their chance to vote in the election, and other voters should be allowed to do the same without any pressure.

"The governors will have their own votes now. Every governor will be able to vote. He will vote for himself. Let others do," Onaiyekan added.

He further stressed that elections give citizens a chance to show their political preferences and encouraged Nigerians to use that right freely.

"At least, that’s the only opportunity that we have to express our mind. Let us do it," he said.

Onaiyekan's comments also included a call for reforms in Nigeria’s electoral system. He suggested that a presidential candidate should secure at least 50 percent of the votes before being declared the winner. He also called for a more independent process for appointing the leadership of INEC and for election petitions to be settled before elected candidates are sworn in.