Assault on Catholic Bishops is equivalent to an assault on the Church as a whole, PFN vehemently declares

Bishop Wale Oke, the National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, has declared that the Pentecostal body stands in full support of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, emphasizing that any attack on the Catholic bishops is an attack on the entire Body of Christ.

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Speaking in an interview, Bishop Oke endorsed the remarks made by John Onaiyekan during the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria's recent visit to President Bola Tinubu, where the group stated that "Nigeria is bleeding," with Oke querying if the country is not indeed bleeding in various states such as Benue, Southern Kaduna, Gwoza, Borno State, Kwara, and Oyo State.

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The PFN President challenged the government's pushback against the bishops, insisting that speaking the truth to power is a moral imperative, and wondered if anyone should be attacked for stating the obvious truth.

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Bishop Oke dismissed attempts to isolate the Catholic bishops, emphasizing Christian unity across denominations, and stated that the Church of Jesus Christ is one, with a single faith, Lord, and baptism, adding that an attack on the Catholic bishops is an attack on the whole Church.

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The PFN leader condemned the government's silence in the face of escalating violence against Christians, citing ongoing killings in Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, and recent incursions into Oyo, Kwara, and Edo states by violent groups linked to Islamic extremism.

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Regarding the proposed amendment to the FRSC Act that would fine bus preachers ₦50,000, Bishop Oke was unequivocal, insisting that the law must be expunged entirely, and declared that he and his followers would break the law, choosing to obey God rather than man.

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Oke, who has preached in buses since 1975 without causing accidents or distractions, stated that he is ready to be imprisoned for preaching the gospel, and would rather obey God than man, even if it means filling all the stadiums in Nigeria with prisoners.

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Beyond the bus preaching ban, Bishop Oke called on the National Assembly to address more fundamental issues, including Nigeria's membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which he said the country entered under military rule without the people's consent.

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Oke demanded that the Senate deal with the issue and pull Nigeria out of the OIC, and also renewed calls for a review of the 1999 Constitution, alleging it is skewed in favor of Islam, with Islam mentioned hundreds of times, while Christianity is mentioned only once.

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Bishop Oke argued that the Constitution was imposed by the "military jackboot" and does not represent the will of Nigerians, where Christians make up over 50 percent of the population.

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Oke doubled down on allegations of Christian genocide, accusing the government of spending billions to lobby against such claims in the United States while the killings continue, and distinguished between the primary targeting of Christians and the secondary killing of liberal Muslims who oppose extremist ideologies.

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The PFN President concluded by stating that the Senate should invite the Church for a talk, as Nigerians are being killed, and the government is making evil laws, which the PFN is willing to break, while also making private overtures to the Presidency.

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Pastor Seyi Osuntayo, Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, weighed in on the controversy, expressing concern about the "altercation" between the Presidency and the Catholic bishops, and questioned the timing of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria's advice, suggesting it could be seen as partisan.

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Pastor Osuntayo felt that the Catholic Bishops should have been talking about governance from the beginning, rather than during the electioneering campaign, and cited the biblical instruction in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, urging Christians to pray for leaders regardless of their performance.

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Osuntayo cautioned against Christian leaders creating media content or participating in news coverage to criticize the government, arguing that such actions only add to the political heat, and instead suggested surrendering emotions and letting the power of prayer take over.

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Journalist and author Ben Charles-Davies dismissed the government's attempt to divert attention from the real issues, describing the verbal exchange between the Presidency and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria as unnecessary.

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Charles-Davies pointed to "rank hypocrisy" in the government's response, recalling that in November 2014, the CBCN spoke against then-President Goodluck Jonathan's administration's handling of the economy, and the opposition All Progressives Congress applauded the cleric for being the voice of the voiceless.

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He challenged government spokespersons to be more circumspect in attacking statesmen who hold contrary views, emphasizing that "Nigeria belongs to all of us, not just those in government," and questioned the sincerity of government officials in telling the President the true situation of things in the country.

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Ugoji Maximillian, a speaker, author, and entrepreneur, offered a more political analysis of the situation, describing the Catholic bishops as a strong body that knows how to play politics and can intimidate and threaten politicians using their structures.

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Maximillian accused the bishops of playing politics and attempting to intimidate the President, tracing the Church's political influence across various states, and citing examples of how Catholic clerics have shaped political outcomes in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Benue, and Kaduna states.

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Former Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State, Mr Toyin Ayinde, suggested that Nigerians have unrealistic expectations of change, pointing to tangible economic progress, such as his ability to use his naira ATM card for online transactions and purchases abroad.

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Ayinde cautioned that "Nigerians don't understand process, so everything must happen at microwave speed," and argued that the country is "heavily soaked in the culture of shaming," where people look for ways to criticize and shame others rather than offering guided advice for a way forward.