Abuja, 14 November, 2023 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
Politicians commit an original sin when they rig an election , John Cardinal Onaiyekan has said, and faulted Nigerians who seek political positions to enrich themselves.
In a November 11 interview with ACI Africa, Cardinal Onaiyekan said Nigerian politicians don’t seek political office for service but for their personal gains.
“The original sin of elections in Nigeria is that every politician wants to win by all means, whether violence, rigging, or cheating. The important thing is that they want to win and grab power,” the Nigerian Cardinal said.
He added, “We heard about a famous politician telling his supporters to grab it, snatch it, and go away with it. This is the attitude and for as long as that attitude is there it will be impossible to remove violence and rigging.”
The reason for this attitude, Cardinal Onaiyekan said, is because “people go into politics not for service but to grab power, make money and to enrich themselves, their cronies and friends.”