Former vice president Atiku Abubakar on Sunday condemned the presidency’s response to comments by Catholic bishops and Cardinal John Onaiyekan, calling it an attack on a respected moral institution and demanding an immediate apology.
In a statement issued by his senior special assistant on public communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the presidency’s reaction as “arrogant, disrespectful and unbecoming of a democratic government.” He accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of choosing intimidation over reflection after members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria raised concerns about the state of the nation.
“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,” Atiku said.
He praised the Catholic Church as one of Nigeria’s enduring moral voices that has consistently spoken for the poor and oppressed “irrespective of who occupies Aso Rock.” The bishops, he added, showed “rare courage by looking the president in the face and telling him the bitter truth about the state of the nation.”
Atiku defended Cardinal Onaiyekan’s decision to speak publicly after the meeting, rejecting the presidency’s criticism. “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,” he said. “Such a responsible act cannot justify the vile, uncouth and disrespectful reaction that followed from Tinubu’s media handlers.”
The former vice president, who is the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, further stated: “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.”
He insisted that silencing or attacking the clerics would not erase Nigerians’ daily experiences of hardship. “The cleric merely gave voice to what millions of Nigerians discuss daily in their homes, markets, churches and workplaces,” Atiku said. “Silencing or attacking him will not erase the harsh realities of hunger, insecurity, rising poverty, unemployment and the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.”
Atiku called on the presidency to apologise to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Church and the faithful. “The presidency owes the Catholic Church, Cardinal John Onaiyekan and the entire Catholic faithful an immediate and unreserved apology,” he stated. “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.”
The controversy stems from a recent meeting between President Tinubu and a Catholic bishops’ delegation, after which Onaiyekan publicly discussed the bishops’ concerns over the economy, insecurity and governance. Presidential aides had criticised the cardinal for disclosing details of the closed-door engagement.
