Next Year: Obi and Kwankwaso Come to the Defense of Onaiyekan and Catholic Church Leaders

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The NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, (BBC)

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* Say they spoke truth to power *Urges Tinubu to embrace constructive criticism

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By Vincent Ujumadu

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The presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, and his running mate for the 2027 election, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have defended the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, and John Cardinal Onaiyekan for speaking truth to power when they met President Bola Tinubu at Aso Villa in Abuja penultimate Tuesday.

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They described the development as the growing intolerance of dissent by the federal government.

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Recall that the Presidency had last weekend, launched an attack on Onaiyekan, accusing him of making public what the President discussed with the bishops close-door.

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In a statement, titled “When a Government Declares War on the Truth,” Obi warned that attacks on religious leaders who spoke on national challenges could undermine democracy and distract from the country’s pressing problems.

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According to him, Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship, insecurity, inflation and unemployment, require sincere engagement with constructive criticism, rather than hostility towards those who raise legitimate concerns.

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He observed that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, had never acted as an opposition platform, but had consistently served as the nation’s moral conscience by speaking out on issues affecting the common good under both military and civilian administrations.

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Obi noted that the same commitment to truth had been demonstrated by major Islamic and Christian organisations, including Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI; the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, SCSN; the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, all of which had repeatedly expressed concern over rising insecurity, economic hardship and inflation in the country.

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He argued that religious leaders were often among the first to witness the suffering of ordinary Nigerians because they live and work within local communities where families struggled daily with soaring food prices, unemployment, kidnappings and other security challenges.

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Drawing from his experience as governor of Anambra State, Obi said constructive criticism from traditional rulers and religious leaders contributed significantly to the successes recorded by his administration, particularly in education and healthcare.

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“As leaders, we should be gracious enough to listen to people and organisations that speak the truth to us and genuinely criticise us when things are not going in the right direction,” he stated.

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He expressed concern over recent attacks on the CBCN and, in particular, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, following the bishops’ assessment of the nation’s condition, recalling that when Pope John Paul II visited Nigeria in 1998 and openly challenged the late General Sani Abacha on issues, including the detention of Chief Moshood Abiola, the pontiff was not subjected to public vilification.

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Obi also pointed out what he described as a contradiction in the federal government’s relationship with the Catholic Church, noting that President Bola Tinubu demonstrated respect for the church during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome by arriving ahead of many world leaders and participating fully in the ceremonies.

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He wondered why that posture appeared to have changed, following the recent criticism from the Nigerian bishops.

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He further accused political actors of attempting to exploit religious and ethnic divisions by portraying the bishops’ comments as a purely Catholic concern, arguing that the issues highlighted by the bishops, including insecurity, poverty, inflation, unemployment and widespread hardship, affect all Nigerians irrespective of religion or ethnicity.

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“The bishops merely expressed what millions of Nigerians experience daily,” he said, advising government officials to focus on addressing the concerns raised instead of attacking respected religious leaders. A democratic government should welcome honest feedback from credible institutions”, Obi said.

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He insisted that national progress depended on leaders’ willingness to confront difficult truths rather than silence those who voice them.

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Kwankwaso backs Onaiyekan for ‘speaking truth to power’

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On his part, the vice presidential candidate of NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, also backed the Catholic Bishops, praising them for what he described as their courage and patriotism.

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He said the bishops spoke on the realities facing millions of Nigerians, rather than taking sides in politics.

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In a post shared on his verified X account yesterday, the former Kano State governor dismissed claims that the bishops’ comments on the country’s rising cost of living, insecurity, declining public confidence and widespread hardship were politically motivated.

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According to him, the concerns raised by the clerics reflect the daily experiences of ordinary Nigerians across different parts of the country.

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Kwankwaso lamented that despite Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources, millions of citizens continued to grapple with economic hardship, unemployment, insecurity, poor access to quality education and healthcare, as well as shrinking opportunities.

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He stressed that the country’s challenges required urgent, sincere and people-focused solutions from those in positions of leadership.

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The NDC vice presidential candidate also called on Nigerians to continue engaging governments at all levels constructively, urging leaders to embrace accountability and implement policies that placed the welfare, security and prosperity of citizens above every other consideration.

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“I commend the Catholic Bishops for their courage and patriotism. It is through such collective commitment and responsible leadership we can build a more peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria,” Kwankwaso wrote.

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