Atiku Slams Tinubu Over Presidency’s Criticism of Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Interview

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has weighed in on the media rebuttals from the Presidency and its aides against John Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

The Presidency rejected Cardinal Onaiyekan's stance on the outcome of the meeting of the Catholic bishops and President Baola Tinubu, which he shared in an interview with Arise Television.

They issued criticising statements to that effect, including accusing the Cardinal Bishop of abusing "clerical privilege" by publicly discussing the closed-door meeting between President Tinubu and Catholic bishops, leading to several media rebuttals from aides and members of the ruling party.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, weighed in on the issue, stating that the bishops had every right to speak on issues affecting Nigerians, insisting they were not "rented cheerleaders" for any government.

In a statement, Atiku said, "The Catholic Bishops are not rented cheerleaders for any government.

"Their constitutional and moral duty is to speak truth to power and defend the poor, the oppressed and the voiceless."

He added that attempts to silence religious leaders for expressing concern over national issues were unacceptable in a democracy.

The former vice president also described the Presidency's criticism of Onaiyekan as "misplaced" and urged the Tinubu administration to focus on addressing insecurity and economic hardship instead of attacking respected religious leaders.

"No government should be afraid of honest counsel," he said. "Constructive criticism is not hostility.

"It is a necessary ingredient of accountable governance."

The controversy followed Onaiyekan's interview in which he revealed that President Tinubu "quite clearly" disagreed with the bishops' assessment of Nigeria's economy, insecurity and political climate during their meeting at the Presidential Villa.

The cardinal said the bishops had simply presented the concerns of ordinary Nigerians and expected the president to respond from his own perspective.

Responding on Friday, Presidential Adviser on Media and Public Communications Temitope Ajayi said it was "fundamentally inappropriate" for the cardinal to publicly give his account of a private meeting, describing the interview as "an abuse of clerical privilege."

The exchange has sparked fresh debate over the role of religious leaders in national discourse, with both the Presidency and opposition figures defending their positions on the bishops' engagement with the Tinubu administration.