Those who called Jonathan clueless are now in Power – Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has said many of the individuals who described former President Goodluck Jonathan as “clueless” during his administration are now in positions of power.


Oritsejafor made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night, June 22 while responding to criticisms that trailed Jonathan’s administration, particularly allegations that insecurity and corruption thrived under his leadership.


“Where are those people now? Are they not the same people today who are in power?” Oritsejafor asked. “People who called him clueless, but they wouldn’t allow him to do the things he needed to do. They protested against him all over the place in Lagos especially, and across the country.”


According to the cleric, many of those who sponsored and supported the protests against Jonathan are now occupying key positions in government.

“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. So, now they have the clue, but look at where Nigeria is now,” he said.


Asked whether he regretted supporting Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election, Oritsejafor replied, “No, I don’t.”


The cleric also weighed in on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, expressing concern over the state of the country and advising the president against seeking a second term in office. He said the current administration had worsened Nigeria’s challenges and questioned the government’s ability to reverse the country’s declining fortunes.


“The government of Tinubu has done more harm to this nation than this nation has ever experienced,” he said.


While declining to directly support calls for Tinubu’s resignation, Oritsejafor urged the president to honestly assess his capacity to address the country’s problems.

“I would not sit here categorically and tell him resign. But I think what I would say to him is, look, don’t pretend to know what to do when you don’t know what to do. Don’t pretend that you can take Nigeria out of where it is now, when you know you can’t,” he stated.


The cleric further criticized the administration’s “Renewed Hope” slogan, arguing that many Nigerians have lost confidence due to economic hardship and insecurity.


“The average Nigerian today has no hope, except if you say you look up to God to give you hope,” he said. 

Oritsejafor concluded by urging Tinubu not to pursue another term, saying, “Don’t begin to dream of coming back to continue this same mess.”