₦airaland Forum

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has questioned the neutrality of Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, insisting that the cleric was not impartial during the 2023 general election.

Wike made the remarks during his media parley on Tuesday while reacting to the controversy that followed Onaiyekan’s comments after a recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

Following the meeting, the cardinal said in an interview that people around President Tinubu were presenting a “rosy picture” of the country to him and suggested that the President was focused on securing victory in the 2027 presidential election.

The Presidency subsequently faulted Onaiyekan for disclosing details of the closed-door meeting, describing the action as an abuse of privilege.

Responding to the development, Wike argued that public comments from religious leaders should reflect balance, warning that persistent criticism without acknowledging government achievements could be viewed as politically motivated.

“If a religious leader is perceived or seen to be taking a side, which is very clear, it is very difficult for people to begin to see those comments as being helpful,” he said.

“I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan; all of us know, it’s not hidden, whom he supports; everybody knows that.”

The FCT minister said while it was appropriate to criticise government where necessary, leaders should also recognise areas where progress had been made.

“It’s not every time you say things are bad; nobody has heard you say government has done this well,” Wike said.

“The point I am trying to make is that, as a leader, commend government when government has done well in certain areas; criticise government and say, look, you have done this well, but you should improve in these other areas.”

He added that if public interventions from a respected figure were consistently negative, the government would naturally conclude that the criticism stemmed from political opposition rather than objectivity.

When reminded that the bishops’ position was not partisan, Wike disagreed, insisting that religious leaders openly aligned with candidates during the last presidential election.

“Don’t tell me they’re not partisan. You know what happened in the 2023 election. People took sides, religious leaders took sides, it was very open,” he said.

“I would be stupid to sit here for anybody to tell me this person is impartial. No. We know ourselves in this country; we know who belongs to where. Who did they support in 2023? It was very obvious,” he added.

Cardinal Onaiyekan's Criticism of the Tinubu Administration Born Out of Partisanship - Wike

While I do not oppose comments from religious leaders and elder statesmen who criticise the government, when a particular section consistently voices such criticisms, the government must… pic.twitter.com/CoIfVcWwA4

— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) August 4, 2026

CharlesCNG:
You mean like the prodigal Obidient sons who attacked Pastor Enoch Adeboye whenever he said something that did not fit their political catechism?

Please spare us the sanctimony.

When a cleric criticises Tinubu, he suddenly becomes a courageous prophet speaking truth to power. But when another cleric questions Obi, praises the government or refuses to join the Obidient choir, he is insulted, mocked and accused of compromise.

That is not reverence for the Church.

It is selective respect based on political usefulness.

Tinubu is not above criticism, and neither is any priest, bishop or pastor above rebuttal.
Disagreeing with a cleric’s political statement is not the same as attacking Christianity.

The hypocrisy is pathetic:

When Obidients attack pastors, it is “holding religious leaders accountable.”

When APC supporters answer a well known obidient priest’s reckless partisan political claims, it becomes “war against the Church.”

Apparently, freedom of speech belongs only to those saying what Obidients want to hear.

Clerics may speak.

Citizens may respond.

That is democracy—not persecution.

Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, has recounted how President Bola Tinubu argued with a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) during a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, insisting that everything in the country was working well despite the bishops’ concerns about the nation’s worsening economic situation.

Mr Onaiyekan, who was part of the delegation from the catholic bishops, said the president’s reaction suggested that those around him were not giving him an accurate picture of the hardship Nigerians are experiencing.

The cleric disclosed this during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Friday, where he reflected on the meeting and the state of the nation.

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.

“You asked me, how did I see the face of the President in reaction? I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy. Not even his colleagues who were there. We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.

Mr Onaiyekan said one of the delegation’s major concerns was that people surrounding the president were shielding him from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.

“And that is one of the things that worries us. That there are so many people hanging around Mr President, giving him a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not. And we felt that we have no duty to do that.

“Indeed, we have the obligation to help him to appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. And that is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. And the reply shows very clearly,” he said.

The cleric said both sides left the meeting without changing their positions.

“And you can see his reply. We left that hall, both sides, knowing that we said what we had to say. He said what he had to say.

“His reply is that the nation is not bleeding. We told him our economy is not helping our poor people. He told us the economy is doing fine. Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. Again, I said, we’re not surprised. We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty. We have delivered our message,” he said.

When asked whether the meeting could be described as “frosty,” particularly because Nigerians are accustomed to cordial engagements between religious leaders and political officeholders, Mr Onaiyekan said the country’s situation required honest discussions

“When the nation is bleeding, you can’t expect a polite meeting with the head of state. We need to let him know,” he added.

Despite the president’s disagreement with the bishops’ assessment, Mr Onaiyekan expressed hope that those around Mr Tinubu would eventually draw his attention to the realities they presented.

“And we have a feeling that somehow along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said,” he said.

Since assuming office in May 2023, President Tinubu has introduced economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market.

While the federal government says the policies are necessary to stabilise the economy and attract investment, they have triggered a sharp increase in fuel prices, transportation costs, food inflation and the overall cost of living, prompting widespread criticism from labour unions, civil society organisations and religious leaders.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that during the meeting with the president at the State House, Abuja, the CBCN led by its President, Matthew Ndagoso, outlined areas of concern in the country, which include security, quality tertiary education and limited spaces, sustaining gains of democracy, credible elections and poverty.

Mr Ndagoso, who is also the archbishop of Kaduna, urged President Tinubu to consider the return of mission schools and fair treatment for all worshipers, including the provision of worship places in all parts of the country, without bias.

“As a man who risked so much in the
struggle for the return of democratic rule in the dark days of the military dictatorship, your greatest legacy would be the strengthening of our democratic institutions,” the archbishop said.

The delegation included: Most Rev. Alfred Martins, Archbishop of Lagos/CBCN Vice President; Most Rev. Peter Odetoyinbo, Bishop of Abeokuta/CBCN Secretary; Most Rev. Moses Chikwe, Auxiliary Bishop of Owerri/CBCN Assistant Secretary; Peter Cardinal Okpaleke, Bishop of Ekwulobia; Most Rev. Ignatius Kiagama, Archbishop of Abuja; Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, Archbishop of Ibadan; Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, Archbishop of Onitsha; Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, Bishop of Oyo; Most Rev. Gerald Musa, Bishop of Katsina, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto and Mr Onaiyekan.

Also on the delegation were: Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, Bishop of Enugu; Most Rev Godfrey Onah, Bishop of Nsukka; Most Rev. Augustine Echema, Bishop of Aba; Most Rev. Christopher Naseri, Auxiliary Bishop of Calabar; Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, Secretary General; Rev. Fr. Peter Audu, Director, Church and Society Department; Rev. Fr. Michael Imhadowinyi and Dickson Adeyanju.