Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the presidency’s criticism of the Catholic Church and John Cardinal Onaiyekan, describing it as an attack on one of Nigeria’s most respected moral institutions and a sign of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s growing intolerance of dissent.
Atiku also demanded an immediate and unconditional apology to the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal Onaiyekan, and the Catholic faithful, claiming that the presidency’s reaction to the cleric’s remarks was “arrogant, disrespectful, and unbecoming of a democratic government”.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice president accused the presidency of prioritising political attacks over introspection in response to recent remarks by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria about the state of the nation.
According to Atiku, rather than addressing the bishops’ concerns, the administration used intimidation and attempted to denigrate respected religious leaders.
“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 said.
Atiku recognised the Catholic Church as one of Nigeria’s enduring moral voices, pointing out that its leaders have continuously spoken up for the poor, defenceless, and downtrodden, regardless of the government in power.
“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,” he stated.
Atiku commended the Catholic bishops for their boldness, claiming they had fulfilled their moral responsibilities by openly expressing worries about the country’s economic and political condition.
“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,” he added.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate also defended Cardinal Onaiyekan’s decision to grant an interview after the meeting, arguing that the cleric merely sought to place the facts before Nigerians following what he described as the presidency’s attempt to control the narrative.
“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,” he said.
He accused the president of aiming to destroy the credibility of the Catholic bishops by selectively portraying their meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
“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,” he stated.
He also criticised the government’s intolerance of independent voices, warning that democracy cannot thrive in an environment where individuals, religious leaders, and civil society organisations are persecuted for expressing opposing viewpoints.
“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,” he noted.
In a direct reference to the controversy surrounding clerics who attended President Tinubu’s inauguration in 2023, Atiku claimed that the administration appeared to believe that all religious leaders could be recruited for political purposes.
“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,” he declared.
According to him, attacking respected clerics would neither erase the economic challenges facing Nigerians nor absolve the government of responsibility for the hardship experienced across the country.
“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,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate stated that administrations obtain greater public confidence by responding constructively to criticism rather than assaulting individuals who articulate it.
“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,” he added.
He called on the presidency to apologise to Onaiyekan, the Catholic Church and millions of Catholic faithful across the country.
“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,” he stated.
