Atiku condemns presidency’s attack on Cardinal Onaiyekan, Catholic Bishops

Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president, has condemned the presidency’s criticism of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop who granted an interview after the recent visit of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) visit to the State House.

Last week, the CBCN led by its president and Archbishop of Kaduna, Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, met with president Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Villa.

“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 in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former vice president.

According to Atiku, the presidency chose political attacks over introspection following recent remarks by members of the Catholic Bishops on the state of the nation.

He stated that the presidency resorted to intimidation and attempts to discredit the Catholic Bishops, rather than address the concerns raised by the bishops.

Atiku therefore 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.

Atiku, who is African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate also described the Catholic Church as one of Nigeria’s enduring moral voices, noting that its leaders have consistently spoken in defence of the poor, vulnerable and oppressed, 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.”

The former vice president added that the clerics have fulfilled their moral responsibility by openly expressing concerns about the country’s economic and political situation.

“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 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 stated.

He accused the presidency of attempting to undermine the credibility of the Catholic bishops by selectively presenting their engagement 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 further criticised what he described as the government’s intolerance of independent voices, warning that democracy cannot flourish where citizens, religious leaders and civil society organisations are attacked for expressing contrary views.

“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 reference to the controversy surrounding clerics who attended President Tinubu’s inauguration in 2023, Atiku stated that the administration appeared to believe that all religious leaders could be enlisted 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 Atiku, 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 maintained that governments secure greater public confidence by responding constructively to criticism rather than attacking those who express 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,” Atiku stated.