The incoming government has the burden to prove its legitimacy – Msgr. John Aniagwu Insists

By Tonya Mathias

As arrangement reaches top gear for the swearing-in of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the new President of Nigeria, the Vicar-General of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rt. Rev. Msgr John Aniagwu has faulted the move.

According to Msgr Aniagwu, it is morally wrong for the outgoing government to go about swearing in a new President while his legitimacy is still being questioned at the Tribunal.

Speaking at a media parley last Sunday to mark the 57th World Communications Day celebration at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos, the clergy said the incoming government has a moral burden to prove its legitimacy at the court of law, and that it is only then it can receive the full support of Nigerians.

Msgr Aniagwu expressed disappointment at the way and manner the last national elections were conducted, saying they fall short of globally acceptable standards.

He also described as laughable, the conduct of some public officers, particularly those in positions of authority who he says refuse to follow lay down rules of the land and by so doing fail to portray the true values of Nigerians as law-abiding people.

He particularly belated the outgoing administration for its inability to effectively address the shortcomings it met on the ground the past eight years such as insecurity, terrorism, and the strangulating economy, including nonadherence to fundamental human rights of its citizens, and freedom of expression.

Msgr. Aniagwu who is also the Parish Priest of St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, insisted that notwithstanding the swearing-in of the President on May 29, 2023, Nigerians will continue to insist that justice should be done at the court of law as that remains the only way to give legitimacy to the incoming administration.

“Some of our public officers are unserious and clownish in the way they conduct the affairs of our country. Some of them are very unstable and their policies are laughable. We toy with security, we toy with the economy, we toy with people’s lives. And we toy with a serious matter such as succession. We make a big joke about it, unlike other countries. There is no legitimacy in an election where someone scores less than 10% of the electorate votes and is declared the winner. It is only in Nigeria that you swear in a candidate whose election is still being contested in a court of law. That is not right. Everything about an election should be decided before a new set of administration is sworn in.” Msgr Aniagwu insisted.