Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has warned President Bola Tinubu not to seek a second term in office, saying the current administration has further compounded the nation’s problems.
Oritsejafor reportedly spoke on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the state of the country under the Tinubu administration.
“Don’t you go dreaming about coming back here and continuing the same old mess,” he said.
The cleric said the Federal Government had not given Nigerians the hope it promised in its “Renewed Hope” agenda.
“The government of Tinubu has done more harm to this nation than this nation has ever witnessed,” Oritsejafor said.
He said that many Nigerians were facing hardship and insecurity, and insisted that the average Nigerian had lost confidence in government.
“The average Nigerian today has no hope, except if you say you look up to God to give you hope,” he said.
Oritsejafor did not directly call for Tinubu’s resignation, but he urged the President to honestly assess his capacity to handle Nigeria’s problems.
“I wouldn’t sit here and say to him categorically resign. But I think what I would say to him is look, don’t pretend that you know what to do when you don’t know what to do. “You know you can’t take Nigeria out of where it is now, don’t pretend,” he said.
Oritsejafor also reacted to criticisms of former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying many of those who called him “clueless” are now in power.
Where are those people? Now? “Are they not the same people in power today?” he asked.
“People who thought he was clueless, but they wouldn’t let him do the things he needed to do. They protested against him everywhere especially in Lagos and all over the country.”
The former CAN president said most of the people that sponsored protests against Jonathan were now part of the leadership structure of the country.
Now, the people who sponsored all those protests, who did a lot of all those things, many of them are the people in power today. Now they have the clue, but look at where Nigeria is now,” he said.
When asked if he regrets supporting Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, Oritsejafor said, “No, I don’t.”