“Let Justice be done”: Nigerian Archbishop on Court’s Ruling on Presidential Election

INEC leadership announced that Mr. Tinubu garnered 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million garnered by Mr. Abubakar and Mr. Obi’s 6.1 million votes.

Nigeria’s main opposition parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) disputed the results, accusing the INEC of not uploading the presidential results from the polling stations.

In his March 5 homily, Archbishop Kaigama lauded the people of God in the West African country for choosing peace over chaos, and the presidential contenders for calling all to order after the INEC pronouncements.

“Thanks to the maturity of the top contenders who called all to order and obedience to the laws of the land, we have yet survived together again as against those predicting doom,” the Archbishop of Abuja said.

He acknowledged the people’s disappointment in how the election results turned out, noting that the electoral process “did not achieve the degree of transparency expected”.

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“We encouraged people to get registered, to obtain their voting cards, to go out and vote. They enthusiastically trooped out to vote but to their greatest chagrin, the process did not achieve the degree of transparency expected,” Archbishop Kaigama said.

“Despite all, remain calm and peaceful,” the Nigerian Catholic Archbishop said, and added, “Let peace reign. May God protect Nigeria and all Nigerians.”

He has further expressed concern over “very hostile, inflammatory, and provocative statements going around,” saying, “Do not be lured into losing your cool.”

He encouraged the electorate in Africa’s most populous nation to take part in the March 11 gubernatorial elections. 

He said, “Please, participate fully in the remaining elections on Saturday (March 11). God is still the God of all Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, Archbishop Kaigama has appealed to those who are to take over positions of leadership in Nigeria to only seek to add building blocks of cohesion and development rather than destroying past good legacies or discontinuing them.

The Nigerian political leaders, he said, ought to seek “to serve, and not to be served; to build and not to destroy; to bind and not to divide.”

“For political leaders, there is no need to fight dirty, rig, or manipulate elections if the desire is to genuinely serve the common good,” Archbishop Kaigama says.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.