Ahead of the May 29 inauguration of the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s men are not leaving anything to chance to ensure that the plan is not scuttled.
To that extent, they are not prepared to spare anyone who appears to be against their principal becoming the commander-in-chief, even if such is a revered man of God like the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan.
On Wednesday, the retired Catholic Archbishop joined a few other Nigerians who said Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who won the February 25 presidential election should not be sworn in until the contestations over his election are settled in the court.
“There are cases in court that have not been disposed of. That is why we are in an anomalous situation.
“We have a president-elect whose election is being challenged and the court is handling it.
“I’m still waiting for the court to tell me who won the election. It doesn’t make much sense to be swearing in people when they are still in court,” Onaiyekan said.
His comment did not go down well with the camp of the president-elect who has descended on him heavily. Nothing would stop the inauguration of Tinubu, according to Festus Keyamo, the minister of state for Employment and one of the spokesmen of the former Lagos Governor.
In a statement, he issued on Thursday, the minister said Onaiyekan comment is an embarrassment to the Body of Christ, he urged him to act like a statesman on matter concerning the stability of the country. “Dear daddy Onaiyekan, you know we all respect you a lot, but your political comments are becoming unstatesmanlike.
“A statesman who doubles as a Man of God should strive to be fair to all. You didn’t say the same thing when Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari were all sworn in as Presidents when their cases were still before the courts,” Keyamo said.
On his part, Femi Fani-Kayode described Onaiyekan’s comment as one of the plans by the ‘Deep State’ to stop Tinubu from becoming president, adding that the president-elect is a moving train that cannot be stopped.
According to the former Minister and one of the spokesmen of the defunct Tinubu/Shetima Presidential Campaign Council, said the election of Tinubu is a divine plan of God that cannot be stopped by anybody.
He said Tinubu will outlive all those that want to stop him from becoming president and commander-in-chief.
Fani-Kayode said: “To Cardinal John Onaiyekan and those that share his views that the swearing in of our President-elect should be postponed until after the Election Tribunal has delivered its judgement I say the following.
“The Nigerian people have spoken and the Deep State conspiracy to stop Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from becoming President failed long ago.
“We are well past that stage and you cannot stop a moving train. Those that have hardened their hearts and that have refused to accept God’s will and admonition to let Asiwaju and the Nigerian people go shall, like Pharaoh, perish before our very eyes.
“Those that are filled with bitterness, hate, envy, fury, and rage and that seek to pursue us into the Red Sea as we make our way to the Promise Land shall be drowned by it.
“Whether they like it or not, God-willing, the President-elect SHALL be sworn in on May 29th and those that want him dead or wish him ill shall see the grave long before he does. This is the doing of the Lord and it is marvellous in our sight.”
Meanwhile, some opinion leaders in the country insist that the inauguration should go ahead while the court is allowed to do its job of deciding who won the presidential election.
This is not the first time a president will be inaugurated while contestations about the election are still pending in the court,” according to those familiar with the nation’s political system.
