Ndigbo should choose president without govs’ interference – Onaiyekan

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, has called for the people of the South-East to be free to choose their preferred presidential candidate without interference from state governors. Speaking in an interview with Afia Tv in Enugu, Onaiyekan responded to questions about Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo's recent comments urging Igbo people to vote strategically in the 2027 presidential election.

Soludo has recently advocated for Ndigbo to avoid "wasting" their votes and has publicly supported President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election. When asked about Soludo's position, Onaiyekan stated that he was unaware of what the governor had said to the Igbo people, but stressed that voters should be allowed to make their own choices.

He emphasized that governors, while elected representatives, should not dictate how citizens exercise their franchise during elections and that they themselves would have the opportunity to vote for themselves. Onaiyekan urged Nigerians to exercise their right to express their political preferences freely during elections and advocated for reforms to Nigeria's electoral system, including a requirement for presidential candidates to secure at least 50 percent of votes cast before being declared winner, and a more independent process for appointing INEC leadership.