ONAIYEKAN WINS CAN ELECTION: CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001531 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR NI KIRF SUBJECT: ONAIYEKAN WINS CAN ELECTION: CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS PART 2 REF: ABUJA 1442 ABUJA 00001531 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Heather Merritt for Reasons 1 .4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on June 19 elected Catholic Archbishop Onaiyekan as its new president, unseating incumbent Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola. Akinola's many critics claim he was too close to former President Obasanjo to be an effective voice for Nigerian Christians, especially as regards his failure to act promptly to Muslim attacks on northern Christians in 2004. Onaiyekan's ledership style is likely to be more inclusive and consultative in contrast to Akinola's dictatorial style and his victory speaks not only to CAN members' dissatisfaction with Akinola's handling of Christian-Government of Nigeria relations, but may also indicate a moving away from those perceived as close to Obasanjo. END SUMMARY. -------------- Onaiyekan Takes the Helm -------------- ¶2. (U) The Christian Association of Nigeria's (CAN) National Executive Committee (NEC) on June 19 elected Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Most Rev. Dr. John Onaiyekan as its new president, unseating incumbent Anglican Archbishop Most Rev. Peter Akinola in a 72 to 33 vote. Akinola's camp subsequently contested the election, presenting a motion that the sitting CAN executive be allowed to continue for another term, which faced vehement opposition and was defeated 60 to ¶22. ¶3. (C) The CAN's electoral college, comprised of fifteen spiritual leaders from the five CAN blocs, had endorsed Onaiyekan three weeks earlier in its caucus-like election, voting 10 to 4 for Onaiyekan over Akinola with all Protestant members backing Onaiyekan. One CAN delegate observed this should have been a sign for Akinola, who originally did not want to run for reelection, that he probably would lose the election. Essentially having elected Onaiyekan twice, the CAN confirmed Onaiyekan's victory during its July 5 meeting. -------------- Akinola Treaded Lightly with Obasanjo -------------- ¶4. (C) Among Akinola's accomplishments as CAN president are the completion of the National Christian Center (NCC) in Abuja that had lain in building ruin for several years. However, Rev. Yakubu Pam, Assemblies of God preacher and President of CAN's North Central zone told PolOff that he believed Akinola's commitment to completing the NCC made him beholden to Obasanjo for federal government support and undermined his ability candidly to engage the Nigerian Government and publicly advocate for Nigerian Christians. Former director of communications for the Catholic diocese of Abuja Father Chris Bologo suggested to PolOff that Akinola's perceived lack of independence from Obasanjo was borne of a desire not to bite the hand that feeds. ¶5. (C) Akinola's many critics also claim that he was too close to former President Obasanjo to be an effective voice for Nigerian Christians, especially as regards his failure to act promptly to Muslim attacks on northern Christians and his failure to defend CAN against Obasanjo's tirades. When Muslims attacked a Christian church in Plateau State in February 2004, Akinola avoided calling on the government to take swift action. Pam however, was publicly vocal on the issue. He criticized Obasanjo's lack of action to contain and address the root causes of inter-religious violence, invoking the ire of Obasanjo who rebuked Pam as an "idiot" and remarked "CAN my foot." -------------- Rotational Representation May Have Had A Role -------------- ¶6. (C) Aside from issues many CAN members had with Akinola's leadership, Father Bologo mentioned this denominational ABUJA 00001531 002.2 OF 003 history surrounding the CAN presidency may have contributed in some way to Onaiyekan's victory. Much like the role federal character plays in Nigerian secular politics, each of the five CAN blocs have equal representational rights and operate on an implicit agreement of rotational leadership. ¶7. (U) The CAN is divided into five blocs: - Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) - Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) - includes Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Nigerian Baptist, and African independent denominations - Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN) - includes Pentecostal and non-denominational churches - Tekan/Ekwa- West African Evangelical churches - Organization of African Institutional Churches (OAIC) - indigenous African churches ¶8. (C) However, the last two CAN presidents, Dr. Sunday Mbang (Methodist) and Akinola (Anglican) belonged to the same CAN bloc, the CCN. Accordingly, CAN delegates may have based their votes in some part on a desire to give another CAN bloc access to the presidency. -------------- -- Shift in Leadership Style and Policies Expected -------------- -- ¶9. (C) Anglican Archbishop of Kaduna Diocese and Akinola confidant Dr. Josiah Fearon remarked to PolOffs and subsequently to the Ambassador that he expected the character of the CAN executive to change under Onaiyekan, who is more inclusive and consultative in his leadership in contrast to Akinola's dictatorial style. Father Bologo assessed Onaiyekan, while having an extensive network of political contacts, was not too close to the Nigerian Government. Onaiyekan approaches political questions tactically and is open and accommodating to the views of his many advisers. ¶10. (C) Fearon was personally close to Akinola and professionally subordinate to him, but questioned Akinola's authoritarian leadership style and noted that several Nigerian Anglican leaders were simply waiting for Akinola to retire. Church leaders widely considered Akinola as difficult to work with and others described him as "semi-literate." ¶11. (C) While it is still early to determine specific policy objectives for Onaiyekan's presidency, both Bologo and Pam stressed Onaiyekan's tendency to keep church and state issues separate. Fearon also described Onaiyekan as more open towards Christian-Muslim dialogue than Akinola. Bologo believed that Onaiyekan will work well with President Yar'Adua, who he considered to have a good relationship with Nigerian Christians and was even-handed towards all religions. Yar'Adua would be hands-off towards CAN, unlike Obasanjo who maintained a hand in CAN politics. ¶12. (C) Nigerian Catholics have traditionally been lukewarm towards CAN with clergy as the primary participants. The CSN hoped to capitalize on trends showing more lay Catholics participating in CAN. Onaiyekan, who has held high-level positions in several Catholic religious organizations in Nigeria, may be able to reinforce these trends through his stewardship of CAN. ¶13. (C) Pam, while supportive of Onaiyekan's leadership, feared Onaiyekan may be spread too thin to dedicate the necessary attention to move the CAN forward by strengthening its grassroots leadership and expanding its presence internationally. He bemoaned that without strong leadership, dubious characters may be able to co-opt CAN's agenda and abuse its political influence. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶14. (C) Onaiyekan's victory speaks not only to CAN members' dissatisfaction with Akinola's handling of Christian-Nigerian Government relations, but is also indicative of a general pulling back from former President Obasanjo. While we have ABUJA 00001531 003.2 OF 003 indications that CAN'S leadership will willfully distance itself from the Yar'Adua administration, we also anticipate President Yar'Adua to grant CAN its autonomy, seeking counsel from within its ranks on matters of inter-communal relevance. The CAN leadership has expressed its support for Yar'Adua's administration and most likely views him as impartial. However, while CAN's Islamic leadership counterparts who have expressed a desire to capitalize upon Yar'Adua's northern Muslim extraction to ally themselves more closely with the Nigerian Government, it remains to be seen how Nigerian Christians will perceive a possible alliance between Yar'Adua and Nigeria's Islamic leadership and for what this alliance will portend. Moreover, although Nigeria has not witnessed the scale of inter-religious violence as in years past, relations between Christians and Muslims, particularly in the North continue to be tense. In spite of a lack of popular outcry, the July 5 statement by CAN Secretary General Saidu Dogo, in which he alleges that the Sultan of Sokoto (the traditional leader of Nigeria's 70 million Muslims) made inflammatory remarks against Christians, demonstrates further the sensitive, tenuous nature of Christian-Muslim relations. CAMPBELL