Onaiyekan urges South-East voters to choose 2027 president without governors’ interference

The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has said people of the South-East should be allowed to freely choose their preferred presidential candidate without interference from state governors. Onaiyekan said this on Thursday in an interview with Afia Tv in Enugu while responding to questions about Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recent comments Read More: https://punchng.com/ndigbo-should-choose-president-without-govs-interference-onaiyekan/

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, has urged the people of the South-East to select their preferred presidential candidate without interference from state governors.Speaking in Enugu during an interview with Afia TV, Onaiyekan responded to recent remarks by Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who has advised Ndigbo to avoid “wasting” their votes and has openly backed President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election.Onaiyekan stressed that governors should not dictate voting choices, noting that every citizen, including governors themselves has the right to cast their ballot independently.“It is not the duty of governors to tell people how they should vote. The governors will have their own votes. Let others do,” he said.The cleric also called for reforms to Nigeria’s electoral system, including requiring presidential candidates to secure at least 50 percent of votes before being declared winners. He further advocated for a more independent process in appointing INEC leadership and insisted that election petitions should be resolved before candidates are inaugurated.Onaiyekan emphasized that elections remain the only opportunity for Nigerians to express their political will and urged citizens to exercise that right freely.