‘Catholic Bishops Not Rented Cheerleaders’ — Atiku Slams Presidency Over Onaiyekan Attack

• Atiku condemns the Presidency’s criticism of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, describing it as an attack on the Catholic Church and evidence of growing intolerance of dissent.

•  Former Vice President says Catholic bishops are “not political props or rented cheerleaders,” insisting they have a moral duty to speak truth to power regardless of who occupies Aso Rock.

• The Presidency had accused Cardinal Onaiyekan of abusing clerical privilege after he disclosed details of the bishops’ closed-door meeting with President Tinubu.

• Atiku demands an unreserved apology to the Catholic Church, warning that attacking respected clerics will not erase Nigerians’ economic hardship or democratic concerns.

August 2, () — Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has launched a blistering attack on the Presidency over its criticism of the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan

He declared that “Catholic bishops are not political props or rented cheerleaders” and insisted that no Nigerian requires “Aso Rock’s permission to tell the truth.”

Atiku’s intervention followed the Presidency’s condemnation of Cardinal Onaiyekan for publicly recounting details of a closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), during which the clerics raised concerns over the country’s economy, security, and democratic governance.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President accused the Tinubu administration of responding to legitimate criticism with intimidation instead of addressing the issues raised.

According to Atiku, the Presidency’s comments against Cardinal Onaiyekan represented a dangerous pattern of intolerance towards independent voices and institutions willing to hold government accountable.

“It is 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,” the statement said.

‘Catholic Bishops Speak for the Poor, Not Those in Power’

Atiku described the Catholic Church as one of Nigeria’s enduring moral institutions, noting that its bishops had consistently defended the interests of the poor, vulnerable, and oppressed irrespective of the political party 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.

He praised the bishops for confronting President Tinubu with what he described as the “bitter truth” about the country’s condition during their meeting at the Presidential Villa.

He added, “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.”

The former Vice President urged Christian and Muslim religious leaders across the country to emulate the Catholic bishops by speaking frankly whenever national interest demands.

Presidency, Cardinal Onaiyekan in Public Dispute

The controversy followed Cardinal Onaiyekan’s interview with ARISE Television after Thursday’s meeting between President Tinubu and the Catholic bishops.

The CBCN delegation, led by its President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, had presented concerns over insecurity, worsening poverty, economic hardship, the quality of tertiary education, credible elections, and what it described as growing threats to Nigeria’s democratic system.

During the interview, Cardinal Onaiyekan disclosed that President Tinubu disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the nation’s condition, insisting that the economy was improving.

According to the Cardinal, the President appeared displeased by the bishops’ presentation, adding that his reaction suggested that those around him might not be giving him an accurate picture of the hardship facing Nigerians.

“You asked me how I saw the face of the President in reaction. I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy… We knew that this was different from the kind of statements that our President keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” Onaiyekan said.

Reacting on Saturday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, faulted the cleric’s decision to publicly discuss what transpired during the private meeting.

Ajayi described the interview as “an abuse of clerical privilege,” arguing that it was inappropriate for Cardinal Onaiyekan to provide his own interpretation of a confidential engagement with the President.

‘No One Needs Aso Rock’s Permission to Tell the Truth’

Responding to the Presidency’s criticism, Atiku accused Tinubu’s media team of attempting to distort the outcome of the meeting by selectively presenting the bishops’ engagement with the President.

According to him, Cardinal Onaiyekan merely sought to place the facts before Nigerians after what he described as attempts by government officials to control the public narrative.

“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 to manufacture a narrative favourable to the government,” he alleged.

He described the Presidency’s reaction as “vile, uncouth and disrespectful,” adding that attacking the messenger instead of responding to the issues raised only exposed the weakness of its arguments.

“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,” Atiku declared.

The ADC presidential candidate further alleged that the Presidency had become accustomed to surrounding itself with religious figures willing to endorse government policies uncritically.

“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 said.

Calls for an Apology to the Catholic Church

Atiku maintained that Cardinal Onaiyekan merely articulated the frustrations many Nigerians express daily over hunger, insecurity, unemployment, rising poverty, and the cost-of-living crisis.

He argued that a government confident in its performance should welcome criticism rather than wage war against dissenting voices.

“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 stated.

The former Vice President insisted that Nigeria’s democracy would be imperilled if religious leaders, civil society organisations, and ordinary citizens were expected to become praise singers before exercising their constitutional right to free expression.

He therefore demanded that the Presidency apologise to the Catholic Church, Cardinal Onaiyekan, 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,” Atiku said.

The Presidency has yet to issue any further response to Atiku’s statement beyond its earlier criticism of Cardinal Onaiyekan.