Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The presidential running mate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu and his aides, accusing them of showing grave disrespect to the Christian faith and the Catholic Church in the wake of a public spat between the Presidency and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). Amaechi, a former Minister of Transportation and a prominent Catholic, made the allegation on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today, where he warned that the government's response to the bishops' concerns amounted to a direct insult to millions of Nigerian Catholics.
Amaechi's outburst came just days after Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, publicly revealed that the bishops had told President Tinubu during a closed-door meeting on July 28 that "Nigeria is bleeding" and that the economic hardship and insecurity were far worse than the reports the President often receives from those around him. The Presidency, through presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, subsequently faulted Onaiyekan's remarks, insisting that the Tinubu administration had recorded significant progress in the economy and security, and accused the cleric of overlooking the government's achievements. The exchange has since escalated, with presidential aides Daniel Bwala and Temitope Ajayi accusing Onaiyekan of being "more political than spiritual" and of abusing his clerical privilege.
Reacting to the Presidency's response, Amaechi, who is also mourning the recent death of his mother, said he was compelled to speak out because his faith was under attack. "What the President and his men are doing is insulting my faith. They are insulting the Catholic Church," he declared. "A cardinal is somebody who could have been Pope or someone who votes for Popes. When you insult a cardinal, you are insulting about 35 million Catholics. You look at me in my faith and say I don't mean anything. My Church means nothing. My God means nothing to you".
Amaechi argued that the Catholic bishops were fully justified in raising concerns about hardship in the country and the integrity of future elections during their meeting with President Tinubu. He insisted that their comments were not politically motivated but driven by genuine concern over worsening living conditions. "The reason the bishops went to the President was to discuss the hardship in the country, the state of the nation and issues of concern, including how fair INEC would be. What the President needs to do is reassure Nigerians that all political parties will slog it out in the field and that it will be a free and fair election," he said.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate also rejected the Presidency's claim that the meeting was private, arguing that any engagement with the President that is covered by cameras is inherently public. "Every public meeting with the President is public. The moment you allow cameras into the office, it is no longer private. If the President wanted a private meeting, there would be no cameras and no journalists," he said. He recalled that when the Catholic Church criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari over insecurity, the government did not respond with similar attacks. "When the Catholic Church came after Buhari, I was in Buhari's government. We all kept quiet and looked at what we should do. We did not insult the bishops," he said.
Amaechi further defended Cardinal Onaiyekan, describing him as a non-partisan figure who is genuinely pained by the level of poverty, hardship, and corruption in the country. "Cardinal Onaiyekan himself supports nobody. I have had several conversations with him. The only thing that pains him is the level of indiscretion, poverty, and corruption in Nigeria," he stated. He also drew a sharp contrast between the government's treatment of Catholic leaders and its deference to traditional Islamic authority, suggesting that the Presidency would not have dared to attack the Sultan of Sokoto in the same manner.
Amaechi's intervention has added a powerful new voice to the growing chorus of criticism against the Presidency's handling of its engagement with the Catholic Church. His remarks come just hours after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the Presidency's attack on Cardinal Onaiyekan and demanded an apology, and as the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria called on other faith leaders to emulate the Cardinal's courage. The escalating war of words has underscored the growing political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Catholic Church and other religious institutions increasingly asserting their moral authority in the face of what many perceive as a governance crisis. For Amaechi, the message was clear: the government must stop insulting the Catholic Church and Christians, or face the consequences of deepening religious divisions in the country. "They should leave the Catholic Church alone. They should respect God, respect the Christian faith and respect our bishops. That is why I came out, despite mourning my mother, to appeal to the government to stop insulting Christians and the Catholic Church," he declared.
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