Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a fierce counter-attack against the Presidency over its criticism of Cardinal John Onaiyekan and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, demanding an immediate apology to the respected cleric and the Catholic faithful. In a statement issued on Sunday, August 2, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of showing increasing intolerance toward dissent and independent voices, while ignoring the substantive issues raised by the bishops about the state of the nation. The former vice president described the Presidency's reaction as "arrogant, disrespectful and unbecoming of a democratic government" and warned that such attacks would not erase the harsh realities of hunger, insecurity, rising poverty, and the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis confronting ordinary Nigerians.
The controversy erupted following a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and a delegation of Catholic bishops at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. During the engagement, the bishops reportedly raised concerns about worsening economic hardship, insecurity, and the state of governance, while Tinubu defended his administration's record. Speaking during a television interview on Friday, July 31, Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, disclosed that the bishops told the President that the country was "bleeding" and that prevailing economic conditions were worsening the plight of poor Nigerians. He also said Tinubu and some officials present at the meeting appeared unhappy with the bishops' presentation because it differed from the favourable assessments the President regularly received.
The Presidency subsequently criticised Onaiyekan and accused the Catholic Church of political bias, alleging that it supported Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. Senior presidential aides, including Temitope Ajayi and Daniel Bwala, dismissed the bishops' assessment of the nation's economy and security as incomplete and politically motivated. Ajayi accused Onaiyekan of an "abuse of clerical privilege" for granting a television interview to offer his own account of the private engagement. Bwala, in a separate attack, accused the cardinal of being "more political than spiritual" and alleged that the Catholic institution had been rooting for Peter Obi.
In his statement, Atiku defended the Catholic bishops, describing the Catholic Church as one of Nigeria's most credible moral institutions that has consistently spoken for the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable, regardless of which political party controls the Federal Government. He praised the bishops for demonstrating "rare courage" by looking the President in the face and telling him the bitter truth about the state of the nation. "Their duty is not to flatter those in power but to speak truth to power," Atiku declared. He called on other religious leaders across denominations and faiths to emulate this example by speaking truth to power whenever the nation's interest demands it.
The former vice president also accused the Presidency's media handlers of attempting 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. He described the exercise as a cynical affront to the integrity, credibility, and moral authority of the bishops. Onaiyekan's decision to speak to the press after the Presidency sought to dominate and distort the public conversation, Atiku argued, 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 said.
Atiku dismissed the Presidency's attacks as a sign of insecurity, arguing that 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 said. The ADC presidential candidate called on the Presidency to tender an immediate and unconditional apology to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Catholic Church, and millions of Catholic faithful across the country over what he described as an unjustified attack. He warned that resorting to insults instead of addressing the issues only exposes the bankruptcy of their arguments.
The clash between the Presidency and the Catholic bishops marks one of the most serious confrontations between the Tinubu administration and the Catholic Church since the President took office in May 2023. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, one of the most influential religious bodies in the country, has historically used its moral authority to speak on national issues, but its recent intervention has drawn an unusually sharp response from the government. The exchange has highlighted the growing political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Catholic Church's perceived leanings toward the opposition becoming a point of contention between the government and the religious hierarchy. For Atiku, the message is clear: the bishops have done their duty by speaking truth to power, and the government must stop attacking the messenger and start addressing the message.
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