More heat on Atiku as APC backs Obasanjo

The Nigerian Presidency has sharply criticized representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for their public remarks after a recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu. Presidential aides argued that the clerics are not the sole arbiters of truth regarding the nation's condition and that their assessment of the economy, security, and governance represents just one viewpoint.

“

Let me say first and foremost that that statement read by our president was not just put together at random. It was carefully considered and with wide consultation. The Bishops’ Conference is bigger than the group of us that were there, but it is very representative of the Bishops’ Conference.

The Presidency also faulted Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, for publicly disclosing details of the closed-door meeting. Aides Temitope Ajayi and Daniel Bwala deemed his comments inappropriate and a breach of expected confidentiality for high-level discussions.

“

So, it is the Catholic Bishops’ Conference that produced that document. It was written, rewritten and corrected. So it was not done at random, nor did we deliver it with levity.

Cardinal Onaiyekan, however, defended the bishops' position during an Arise Television interview. He stated that the concerns raised about worsening economic hardship, insecurity, and the state of democracy were not personal opinions but the collective, carefully deliberated stance of the Bishops' Conference. He stressed that the document presented to the President underwent rigorous review and consultation.

“

I think I have an opportunity in this programme to remind Nigerians that, as bishops, we have no ambitions to take Mr Tinubu’s job or anybody else’s job. We are not politicians running for office.

Onaiyekan emphasized that the bishops have no political ambitions and are driven by a moral obligation to speak honestly about the suffering of Nigerians. He asserted that their role as religious leaders compels them to address the lives of the people, regardless of religious affiliation, and that their statement reflected this duty.

“

We are, first and foremost, religious leaders who feel we have a duty, not just to preach our religious doctrines, but also to address the lives of our people, both those who are our members and those who are not. You can see that from the content and the tone of our statement.