African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Presidency’s attack on the Catholic Church and Cardinal John Onaiyekan, describing it as yet another demonstration of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s growing intolerance of dissent and uncomfortable truths.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said it was both unfortunate and dangerous that, instead of reflecting on the substance of the cleric’s message, the Presidency chose the familiar path of intimidation, ridicule and political attacks.
The statement read, “The Catholic Church has, for generations, stood as one of the moral voices of our nation. Its bishops and priests have consistently spoken for the poor, the oppressed and the vulnerable, irrespective of who occupies Aso Rock. Their duty is not to flatter those in power but to speak truth to power.
“The Catholic Bishops demonstrated rare courage by looking the President in the face and telling him the bitter truth about the state of the nation. That is precisely what patriotic religious leaders are called to do, not to decorate power with praise, but to confront it with truth. We urge other religious leaders, regardless of denomination or faith, to emulate this example by speaking truth to power whenever the nation’s interest demands it.
“The commentary by the Tinubu Presidency against Cardinal John Onaiyekan, a respected voice, elder statesman and beacon of truth within the Catholic Church was delivered in language that was unbecoming of a government and amounted to sheer arrogance, not only towards the Church but towards millions of Nigerians who hold the Cardinal and the institution he represents in the highest esteem. Such haughtiness betrays a government that has lost respect for independent voices.
“What the media managers of the Tinubu administration attempted to do was 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. That cynical exercise amounted to an affront to the integrity, credibility and moral authority of the bishops.
“Cardinal Onaiyekan’s decision to speak to the press after the Presidency sought to dominate and distort the public conversation 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. Resorting to insults instead of addressing the issues only exposes the bankruptcy of their arguments.
“It is disappointing that the Presidency has chosen to attack a respected servant of God simply because he refused to join the growing army of sycophants whose only assignment is to applaud failure and defend the indefensible.”
