Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Godfrey Onah, has criticised President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, saying political officials in the party appear to owe their positions to the President rather than the Nigerian people.
Speaking in a video that has circulated widely on social media, Onah said no political official in the APC believes they are standing on the mandate of the people. According to him, they all believe they are standing on Tinubu’s mandate.
The bishop described Tinubu as an absolute monarch and an emperor who is not controlled by anybody or any force. He questioned how elected officials could claim to represent Nigerians while behaving as though their political authority comes from one individual.
Onah expressed concern that institutions constitutionally expected to check presidential powers were increasingly aligning themselves with the executive. He specifically pointed to the judiciary and the National Assembly, questioning whether they were still exercising their independent responsibilities.
He also criticised state governors and local government chairmen, describing them as errand boys for the President rather than independent leaders accountable to their people.
The cleric questioned the state of Nigerian democracy, arguing that a system in which elected representatives answer more to the President than to voters raises serious concerns about public accountability and democratic representation.
Onah further warned that Nigeria was moving towards a one party system, with opposition parties losing their strength and political differences becoming increasingly difficult to identify.
According to him, political parties no longer appear to be driven by clear ideologies or principles but have increasingly become platforms for gaining political power and access to public resources.
He accused the executive arm of government of drawing the judiciary and legislature closer to its influence, leaving the country with a situation in which only one arm of government effectively functions.
The bishop also used an unusual comparison to describe politicians who move from one political party to another, likening their movement to fluid and gas passing between tanks without a return valve.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Onah expressed doubts about whether the country would conduct free and fair polls if the current political situation continued.
He cited recent local government elections and party primaries as reasons for concern, alleging that some electoral outcomes appeared to have been guided rather than determined by the genuine choices of voters.
The bishop also described Nigeria’s political structure as a combination of plutocracy, where wealthy individuals exercise influence, and kleptocracy, where those in power use public resources for personal benefit.
His central concern was that political leaders were gradually treating the mandate of the Nigerian people as secondary to the wishes and interests of President Tinubu.
Onah’s remarks have brought renewed attention to the independence of democratic institutions, political accountability and the future of opposition politics in Nigeria as the country approaches another general election.
