Peter Obi Faults Attacks On Onaiyekan, Tells Tinubu To Accept Criticism

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has condemned the attacks on Cardinal John Onaiyekan and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) over their criticism of the state of the nation, urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to embrace constructive criticism rather than vilify those who speak out.

Naija News reports that Obi made the submission in a statement issued on Wednesday while reacting to the exchange of words between the Presidency and the Catholic Church following comments by Onaiyekan and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on the country’s economic and security challenges.

According to Obi, Nigeria’s challenges continue to worsen, citing a recent remark by United States President Donald Trump, who reportedly described Nigeria as “a now disgraced country.”

“The painful reality is that Nigeria’s challenges continue to deepen. Each passing day reveals deeper signs of decline, especially when a government becomes increasingly intolerant of truth and hostile to those who speak about the suffering of the people,” Obi said.

He defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, insisting that the body had consistently maintained an independent and principled position on national issues across different administrations.

“The Catholic Church has never functioned as an opposition party in Nigeria. Across military regimes and successive democratic administrations, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has maintained a principled voice on national issues and the nation’s conscience, commending governments when they deserved commendation and speaking the truth whenever national conscience demanded it,” he said.

Obi noted that other religious organisations, including Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), had also repeatedly expressed concerns over insecurity, inflation, unemployment and the rising cost of living.

He argued that religious leaders were speaking from firsthand experience of the hardship faced by Nigerians and should not be dismissed.

The former Anambra State governor said leaders should welcome honest criticism, recalling that he benefited from similar engagements while serving as governor.

“As Governor, I had the opportunity of working with a very strong Council of Traditional Rulers, led by the Obi of Onitsha, and religious bodies that consistently criticised me and offered suggestions. This contributed greatly to our success in Anambra State, especially in critical areas like education and health,” he said.

Obi described the attacks on the CBCN and Onaiyekan as disturbing, recalling that even during the military era, Pope John Paul II criticised the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha without facing public vilification.

He also contrasted what he described as Tinubu’s display of respect for the Catholic Church during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome with the response of his aides to criticism from Nigerian Catholic leaders.

“Rather than address these concerns or explain the measures in place to ameliorate them, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s aides and supporters responded with vicious attacks, particularly against Cardinal John Onaiyekan, with little regard for his age, stature, and accomplishments,” Obi said.

He praised Onaiyekan’s contributions to national unity, peace and interfaith dialogue, describing him as one of Africa’s most respected Catholic clerics.

According to Obi, reducing criticisms by the Catholic bishops to a religious issue ignored the fact that insecurity, inflation, unemployment and poverty affect all Nigerians regardless of religion or ethnicity.

“The bishops merely expressed what millions of Nigerians experience daily: insecurity has worsened, poverty is deepening, inflation is crippling families, businesses are struggling, and hope is fading,” he stated.

Obi warned against surrounding political leaders with sycophants, saying governments perform better when they listen to honest feedback.

“Good governance depends on truth. When governments punish truth-tellers and reward sycophants with appointments, honest advisers withdraw, sycophancy thrives, and leaders become disconnected from reality. This is our situation today,” he said.

He maintained that the CBCN did not insult the President but merely reflected the realities confronting Nigerians.

“The proper response was to thoughtfully address the issues raised, not attack those who raised them. When respected figures like Cardinal Onaiyekan are vilified for speaking the truth, the message sent to citizens is that silence is safer than honesty. No democracy can flourish under such a culture,” Obi added.

He urged religious leaders to continue speaking on national issues, saying silence in the face of suffering would amount to abandoning their moral responsibility, while advising those around the President to provide him with honest assessments of the country’s situation rather than praise.