The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has criticised the recent attacks on the presidential candidate All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, over his academic certificate and age. In a recent interview with Sahara Reporters, the cleric called on Nigerians to shun “cheap politics” and focus on more important issues that will bring about growth and progress of the nation.
“To me, this is an uncivilised attitude towards the election. As you know, this whole story of certificate is being blown up as part of electioneering campaign. If you ask me, I would say what has secondary school certificate got to do with whether either of the two candidates can rule the nation, especially when you are talking about somebody who has ruled the nation before and had reached the level of a General in the Army?
“Are we saying that he has not got the level of education of a secondary school? Those who say so are simply looking for reasons to score political points.”
Cardinal Onaiyekan also dismissed suggestions that his age could prevent him from discharging the office of president effectively. He said “I am 71 years of age and all of us at this age have something in us; one form of terminal disease or the other, which is normal at that age but the election law does not say you must bring out all your medical records; everybody keep their medical records.
“We have even seen sick Presidents who have performed very well; we have even seen blind presidents who have performed very well in their countries, so let us be very serious. I am very sorry that these issues are being raised. Those who are raising these issues are the ones dragging the level of political discourse into the mud and they are getting on our nerves.”
The former Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria also asked Nigerians not to vote based on religious or ethnic sentiments as this would on encourage mediocrity in political leadership.
“But if you ask me, I would say you are wrong if you say you are a Christian and won’t vote for a Muslim. Supposing you have a rogue as a Christian candidate and a very good Muslim as a candidate, can you still say the same thing? Someone would say yes, but they have every right to their choices. But if you ask me I will say that our job as religious leaders should be to constantly tell people to vote according to their conscience and the person who would do a better job,” Onaiyekan said.
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