President Bola Tinubu warned political opponents hoping to unseat him in 2027 that he would not back down without a fight, claiming that everything is fair in a democratic campaign.
Tinubu made the remarks while receiving the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The president said, “Those who would take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and there is equal opportunity.
“I won’t offer them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me at home.
“No, we will wrestle each other to the finishing point. That’s the truth. That is fair in politics,” the president told the bishops.
He also denied claims about the electoral process, defending the Independent National Electoral Commission against accusations of bias.
He argued, “INEC is neutral. It has never, ever intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolf, then they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the company they keep.”
During the brief one-hour meeting, Tinubu told the clerics that three years of challenging reforms were paying off, citing the continuous academic calendar as an example that common Nigerians could relate to.
He also described the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ silence as a response to his and many Nigerians’ prayers.
“None of your children in university today—and I would say they are all your children because you are Reverend Fathers—can say a four-year course is not four years.
“ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to your homes. Is that not an answer to our prayers? To me, that’s an answer,” he said.
In terms of the economy as a whole, Tinubu admitted that he had inherited both the advantages and disadvantages of the previous Muhammadu Buhari administration, but he maintained that stabilization had been reached and that better times were on the horizon.
“This government has stabilized, and there is prosperity on the horizon. The quality of life is improving,” he said, adding that he had not shirked the burden of difficult decisions.
“I inherited it. I didn’t run away. I asked for this job. I’m in it,” he added.
The president also addressed a long-standing issue between the Catholic Church and a number of state governments: the return of mission schools to their original owners.
Tinubu pointed to Cardinal Anthony Okogie as a living witness to the decision he made while serving as governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
However, he maintained that state governors, not the federal government, had the authority to take action, and he urged the bishops to work with the states.
“The schools are in the states. Preach to them, the governors of your states. They do the job.
“There is no need for a constitutional amendment for that. That is part of democracy. Choice,” he said.
Speaking on national unity and security, he described Nigeria’s challenges as a generational issue that could not be escaped.
He said, “The security situation is what it is. We don’t have another country but here.
“This Nigeria. And we revert to our national anthem: in its complexity and diversity, we shall thrive, live, rejoice, and be good to all of us.
“Our founding fathers did their best. They left us a nation, and we owe it to our generations yet unborn to build a nation of unity, stability, and prosperity for the future.”
The Catholic bishops, who were led by Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, departed the Villa after concluding their visit.
