Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Rotimi Amaechi, has come to the defence of Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan, insisting the respected cleric is motivated solely by concern for the welfare of Nigerians and not by partisan politics.
Amaechi made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, where he dismissed claims that Onaiyekan’s recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration was driven by political interests.
According to him, the former Archbishop of Abuja has consistently remained non-partisan and only speaks out because of the worsening economic conditions, widespread poverty and corruption in the country.
> “He supports nobody. I see Cardinal Onaiyekan regularly; I worship in his private chapel. Cardinal Onaiyekan himself supports nobody. I have had several conversations with him. The only thing that pains him is the level of indiscretion and poverty in the country and corruption. He worries about that,” Amaechi said.
The former Rivers State governor also rejected suggestions that the Cardinal’s comments were intended to undermine the Federal Government, arguing instead that the backlash against the cleric was an attempt to discourage critical voices.
> “I just think that they tried to intimidate him, because election is very far away, so they are trying to intimidate him the way they are trying to intimidate the population,” he said.
Amaechi maintained that Onaiyekan had done nothing inappropriate by publicly expressing his concerns, adding that religious leaders have a responsibility to speak up whenever they believe the wellbeing of citizens is under threat.
He further criticised the Presidency’s handling of the matter, saying government officials should engage religious leaders respectfully rather than seek to discredit them.
The controversy began after a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the Presidential Villa last week.
Following the meeting, Cardinal Onaiyekan disclosed that the bishops told the President Nigeria was “bleeding” as many citizens continued to face severe economic hardship. He also claimed President Tinubu disagreed with that assessment, insisting that the country’s economy was improving.
The cleric further revealed that the bishops discussed the importance of protecting the integrity of the 2027 general elections and ensuring a credible electoral process.
His comments attracted sharp reactions from the Presidency, with presidential aides accusing him of disclosing details of a private meeting and misrepresenting what transpired. The officials also defended the administration’s economic reforms, maintaining that the policies were already yielding positive outcomes.
Onaiyekan later alleged that some presidential aides were shielding President Tinubu from the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians and warned that the administration appeared focused on retaining power in the 2027 elections.
The debate intensified on Tuesday after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, questioned the Cardinal’s neutrality, accusing him of political bias and suggesting that his remarks were influenced by sympathy for opposition figures.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, however, sided with Onaiyekan, urging the Federal Government to concentrate on tackling Nigeria’s economic and security challenges instead of attacking the cleric over his comments.
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