Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has criticised the Presidency over its response to comments by the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, a cardinal, saying the attacks amount to an insult on the Catholic Church and the Christian faith.
Mr Amaechi spoke on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Tuesday, where he defended Mr Onaiyekan’s comments following a recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Catholic bishops.
|
|
The cleric had, in a media interview, revealed the discussion between President Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) during a meeting at the State House, Abuja.
During the interview, he said President Tinubu’s facial expression showed dissatisfaction with the bishops’ assessment of the economy and that, instead of accepting their concerns, he argued that the country’s economy was improving.
|
|
|
|---|
However, some aides of the president criticised Mr Onaiyekan for discussing the issues during a media interview, with one accusing him of abusing “clerical privilege.”
But Mr Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and a Catholic, said there was nothing inappropriate about the cleric speaking publicly on issues discussed during the meeting, especially as it was held in the presence of journalists and television cameras.
“The reason the bishops went to see the president was to discuss issues concerning the state of the nation and concerns about how credible the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be during the general election,” Mr Amaechi said.
According to him, the presidency ought to accord the Catholic Church and its leaders the respect due to their offices rather than subjecting them to public criticism.
He argued that Catholic bishops and cardinals hold highly respected positions comparable to those of senior public officials and should be treated accordingly.
“Every public meeting with the president is public. The moment you allow cameras into the office, it is no longer a private meeting. If the president wanted a private meeting, there would be no cameras and no journalists,” he said.
Mr Amaechi also faulted comments credited to the presidency suggesting that “all is fair in politics”, insisting that such a position could not justify attacks on religious leaders.
‘Insulting my faith’
The former minister said the criticism directed at Mr Onaiyekan had become an attack on his Christian faith.
“I believe in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So when a group of people insult my faith, then I must stand up and protect it by all means.
“What the presidency is doing is insulting my faith. They are also insulting the Catholic Church,” he said.
To illustrate his point, Mr Amaechi compared the influence of Catholic bishops with that of elected governors.
He noted that the Catholic Bishop of Port Harcourt oversees the entire Rivers ecclesiastical area, just as the governor administers Rivers State. At the same time, the Bishop of Sokoto has spiritual oversight across Sokoto State.
“You don’t insult a bishop simply because he went to see the president,” he said.
Draws a comparison with the Buhari administration
Mr Amaechi recalled that Catholic bishops openly criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari over insecurity, but were not subjected to similar attacks by the government.
“When the Catholic Church came after Buhari, we all kept quiet and looked for solutions to what we could do. We did not attack anyone at that time,” he said.
He urged government officials to refrain from disparaging religious leaders.
“They should leave the Catholic Church alone. They should respect God, respect the Christian faith and respect our bishops,” he added.
Dismisses Wike’s comments
During the interview, Mr Amaechi also dismissed recent comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Responding to Mr Wike’s claim that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar chose him as his running mate because of money, Mr Amaechi said he would not engage in a public exchange with the FCT minister.
“I don’t respond to my subordinates. Wike never hired me,” he said.
Mr Amaechi’s comments come amid growing political exchanges between leading opposition figures and the Presidency ahead of the 2027 general election, with debates increasingly extending beyond politics to issues involving religious leaders and public institutions.
Discover more from Premium Times Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
