The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the Presidency over its criticism of former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, accusing the administration of showing intolerance towards dissenting voices and undermining one of Nigeria’s most respected religious institutions.
The former vice president called on the Presidency to tender an immediate and unconditional apology to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Church and millions of Catholic faithful, arguing that the government’s reaction to recent comments by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria was inappropriate and inconsistent with democratic principles.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, rather than engaging the issues raised by the bishops concerning the state of the nation, the Presidency chose to launch attacks against respected clerics.
Atiku said: “It was both unfortunate and dangerous that, instead of reflecting on the substance of the cleric’s message, the presidency chose the familiar path of intimidation, ridicule and political attacks.”
He described the Catholic Church as a longstanding moral institution that has consistently spoken on issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, regardless of which political party controls the Federal Government.
According to him: “The Catholic Church has, for generations, stood as one of the moral voices of our nation. Its bishops and priests have consistently spoken for the poor, the oppressed and the vulnerable, irrespective of who occupies Aso Rock. Their duty is not to flatter those in power but to speak truth to power.”
The former vice president commended the Catholic bishops for openly expressing their concerns about the country’s economic and political situation, describing their intervention as an important contribution to national discourse.
He stated: “The Catholic bishops demonstrated rare courage by looking the president in the face and telling him the bitter truth about the state of the nation. That is precisely what patriotic religious leaders are called to do—not to decorate power with praise, but to confront it with truth.
“We urge other religious leaders, regardless of denomination or faith, to emulate this example by speaking truth to power whenever the nation’s interest demands it.”
Atiku also defended Cardinal Onaiyekan’s decision to grant a media interview following the meeting with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the cleric merely sought to provide Nigerians with an accurate account of what transpired.
He said: “Cardinal Onaiyekan’s decision to speak to the press after the presidency sought to dominate and distort the public conversation was nothing more than an effort to place the facts on record. Such a responsible act cannot justify the vile, uncouth and disrespectful reaction that followed from Tinubu’s media handlers.”
The former vice president further accused the Presidency of attempting to shape public perception by selectively presenting details of the engagement between President Tinubu and the Catholic bishops.
According to him: “What the media managers of the Tinubu administration attempted to do was to cancel and overwrite the voices of the revered Catholic bishops by selectively editing and reframing their engagement with the president in order to manufacture a narrative favourable to the government. That cynical exercise amounted to an affront to the integrity, credibility and moral authority of the bishops.”
Atiku warned that democratic governance thrives on open debate and respect for differing opinions, stressing that neither religious leaders nor ordinary citizens should be attacked for expressing legitimate concerns.
He said: “The presidency is not a secret cult where only approved voices are permitted to speak. In a constitutional democracy, no one needs the permission of Aso Rock to tell the truth about the state of the nation.”
In an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding the presence of some clerics at President Tinubu’s inauguration in 2023, the former vice president suggested that the administration was mistaken to assume that all religious leaders could be drawn into partisan politics.
He declared: “Perhaps the presidency has become so accustomed to inviting ‘fake bishops’ that it now assumes every cleric can be recruited into political propaganda. But Catholic bishops are different. They are not political props, rented cheerleaders or praise singers. They are shepherds with a moral obligation to speak truth to power, regardless of whose interests are bruised. They cannot be used.”
Atiku argued that criticising respected clerics would neither solve Nigeria’s economic challenges nor lessen the hardships confronting millions of citizens.
He added: “The cleric merely gave voice to what millions of Nigerians discuss daily in their homes, markets, churches and workplaces. Silencing or attacking him will not erase the harsh realities of hunger, insecurity, rising poverty, unemployment and the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis confronting ordinary citizens.”
The ADC presidential candidate maintained that governments strengthen public trust by welcoming constructive criticism instead of attacking those who express contrary opinions.
According to him: “A government confident in its record welcomes criticism because it provides an opportunity for reflection and improvement. Only an insecure government wages war against honest voices while rewarding those who tell it only what it wants to hear.”
Concluding his statement, Atiku urged the Presidency to apologise to Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Catholic Church, arguing that the comments directed at the cleric amounted to an attack on a respected national institution.
He said: “The presidency owes the Catholic Church, Cardinal John Onaiyekan and the entire Catholic faithful an immediate and unreserved apology. The reckless assault on respected men of God was not merely an attack on individuals; it was an affront to one of Nigeria’s most credible moral institutions and an insult to millions of faithful Catholics.
“Until that apology is offered, the Tinubu administration will continue to stand accused of arrogance, intolerance and contempt for every independent voice that refuses to sing its praises.”
(Ripples)