Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has urged political leaders to allow the people of the South-East, particularly the Ndigbo, to freely determine who they will vote for in the 2027 elections.
Onaiyekan made the call while reacting to remarks attributed to Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Afia TV regarding how the people should deploy their votes in the forthcoming elections.
The Cardinal, who was asked during an interview to respond to Soludo’s comments and advise the Ndigbo on how they should approach the 2027 polls, said voters should be allowed to make their decisions without direction from elected officials.
“I don’t know what Soludo has told the Ndigbo. All I can say is that the Ndigbo should be allowed to freely choose who should be their president and governors,” he said.
Onaiyekan argued that governors had no responsibility to dictate voting choices to citizens, stressing that elected officials themselves would participate in the same electoral process.
“It’s not the duty of governor to teach, to tell people how they should vote. The governors will have their own votes now. Every governor will be able to vote. Will vote for himself. Let others do,” he said.
He further described elections as an important opportunity for citizens to express their political preferences, urging voters to exercise that right according to their convictions.
“At least that’s the only opportunity that we have to express our mind. Let us do it,” Onaiyekan said.
