[TRENDING VIDEO] Tinubu receives Catholic bishops, defends INEC’s neutrality ahead of 2027 election

President Bola Tinubu has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a clean bill of health, dismissing concerns raised by opposition parties over the electoral body’s ability to conduct free and fair elections as unfounded.

Key opposition figures have in recent times cast doubt on INEC’s capacity to serve as an impartial referee ahead of the 2027 elections. But speaking while receiving the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its president, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, Tinubu was emphatic.

“The opportunities are equal. INEC is neutral. They have never intimidated anyone. If political opponents are crying wolf, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep, not me,” he said.

The President assured Nigerians that ongoing reforms to the country’s security architecture would ultimately deliver victory over terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country. He said the challenges were being tackled through improved intelligence gathering, restructuring and repositioning of security institutions, better logistical support and a greater focus on the welfare of frontline personnel.

Tinubu also called on the CBCN and all religious leaders to speak out against violent attacks, guide their congregations and lend their support to government efforts to end insurgency.

“We don’t have another country but this Nigeria. And I will refer to the national anthem that in our complexity and diversity, we shall thrive, live, rejoice and be good to all, and humanity.”

“I have just approved the expansion of the armed forces. We are getting more equipment, building new barracks. We will defeat terrorism. It should be part of your sermons. I won’t deviate from our national anthem,” he added.

On poverty alleviation, Tinubu said the government would sustain interventions aimed at directly improving the lives of families and citizens, citing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as an example.

“I have listened to you carefully, and most importantly, your key areas are security and education. I can tell you categorically with sincerity that the country has been placed on a sound footing. The economy has recovered. The alarm for bankruptcy and dark tunnel of uncertainty that we had when I came in has been changed.

“The spirit of the people is lifting, and the economic turmoil that we feared is cleared. The economy has been delivered from bankruptcy.

“I always say, because of my background and profession, that I inherited the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. I have been running with it. This government has stabilised, and there is prosperity on the horizon. Life is improving,” he stated.

The President told the CBCN leadership that state governors, in accordance with the constitution, hold the authority to decide on the return of mission schools, noting that he had done so himself during his time as governor of Lagos State.

“I returned all mission schools when I was the governor of Lagos State, and Cardinal Okogie, one of my best friends, is alive to testify to that,” he stated.

In his remarks, Ndagoso thanked the President for the warm reception extended to the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of relations between Nigeria and the Vatican.

He outlined the areas of concern to the bishops, including security, quality of and access to tertiary education, sustaining democratic gains, credible elections and poverty.

Ndagoso also called on the President to consider returning mission schools and ensuring equal treatment for all worshippers, including the provision of places of worship across all parts of the country without bias.

The Archbishop of Kaduna used the occasion to call for free and fair elections in 2027.

“As a man who risked so much in the struggle for the return of democratic rule in the dark days of the military dictatorship, your greatest legacy would be the strengthening of our democratic institutions,” the Archbishop said.

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