Stop Humiliating the Body Of Christ, Keyamo Replies Archbishop Onaiyekan

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Following the comment of the retired bishop of the Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has replied to him.

Keyamo responded to the criticism of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu’s impending oath-taking on May 29, 2023, by the archbishop.

Earlier, Congress News had reported how the retired bishop, Cardinal John Onaiyekan stated that it is senseless to take the oath of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu while the case is still in the court of law.

Recall that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi sued the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, are challenging the general election victory.

Festus Keyamo responding to Onaiyekan’s view on Tinubu’s victory stated that Onaiyekan’s statement is an embarrassment to the body of Christ.

In a statement Festus shared on his Twitter page, he wrote;

“Dear Daddy Onaiyekan, you know we all respect you very much, but your political remarks are becoming unstatesmanlike,” he said.

“A statesman who also happens to be a Man of God ought to seek to treat everyone equally. When Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari were all sworn in as presidents while their cases were still pending in the courts, you didn’t say the same thing.

“Because the candidate you and your other religious brethren openly supported lost the election and you all feel humiliated and embarrassed, you have decided to single out this President-Elect @officialABA this time.

“Why all the fuse now, then? Since 1999, it has been a staple of our electoral process that the announced winners take the oath of office, preventing a void and preventing the imposition of an unconstitutional measure while the lawsuits are pending.

“My dear father, may I respectfully suggest that going forward, you and your brethren may think twice about plunging into the political fray and refrain from doing so where your children in your congregations find themselves on opposing sides of political divides, so it would be unfair to them for you to publicly take sides.

“The embarrassment to the group of Christ is at an all-time high, and no politician is worthy of involving this respectable group in a needless political squabble. Daddy, is this too much to ask?” He added.