A fresh war of words has erupted between the Presidency and the Catholic Church after the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, accused the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, of abandoning spiritual neutrality for partisan politics.
Bwala alleged that the respected Catholic cleric was not speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Christian community but was instead advancing the political interests of supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The presidential aide made the remarks in a post on his verified X account while responding to recent comments by Cardinal Onaiyekan, who criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of Nigeria’s worsening economic and social conditions.
The controversy followed revelations by the cardinal regarding a recent closed-door meeting between President Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN). During a television interview, Onaiyekan disclosed that the bishops used the meeting to present what they described as the harsh realities confronting millions of Nigerians amid rising inflation, unemployment, insecurity and deepening economic hardship.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time, the cleric said the bishops deliberately chose honesty over diplomacy, insisting that it was their moral responsibility to tell the President the truth rather than present an overly optimistic picture of the country.
According to Onaiyekan, President Tinubu appeared visibly uncomfortable with the bishops’ assessment because it sharply contradicted the positive reports he regularly receives from his advisers and government officials.
“I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy,” the cardinal said. “We knew that this was different from the kind of statements that our President keeps receiving from all kinds of people.”
He maintained that the bishops had no obligation to flatter the President but instead owed the nation a duty to present the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“We have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. That is the reality we painted, and I know it was not the kind of thing he wanted to hear,” Onaiyekan stated.
The cleric further disclosed that while the bishops argued that the country’s economic reforms had intensified the suffering of citizens, President Tinubu firmly rejected their assessment, insisting that his administration’s economic policies were producing positive results.
“Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. We were not surprised. We did not expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty and delivered our message,” the cardinal added.
Reacting to the remarks, Bwala dismissed the cleric’s intervention as politically motivated rather than spiritually guided.
According to him, Cardinal Onaiyekan was expressing the position of Catholic institutions allegedly sympathetic to Peter Obi rather than representing the collective voice of Nigerian Christians.
“Cardinal Onaiyekan wasn’t speaking for Christians; he was speaking for Catholics, the very institutions rooting for Peter Obi. In fact, likely the institution where Peter Obi also said in 2022, ‘Take back your country’,” Bwala wrote.
“Therefore, the Cardinal is more political than spiritual. And not all Catholic members are supporting Peter Obi.”
The presidential spokesman defended President Tinubu’s decision to reject the bishops’ assessment of the economy, insisting that the President’s position was supported by empirical data.
He argued that Tinubu’s assessment was based on facts, statistics and measurable economic indicators rather than emotion or public sentiment.
Bwala also accused the cleric of inconsistency, claiming that Catholic priests often encourage their members to speak positively despite difficult personal circumstances.
“Ironically, the same priest would rebuke their members if they said, ‘We are suffering’ or ‘We are poor.’ They would rather tell them to say, ‘We are doing great’ or ‘We are rich,’ even when they are suffering,” he said.
The presidential aide further insisted that Cardinal Onaiyekan could not claim to represent all Christians in Nigeria, pointing to broader Christian organisations that, according to him, have maintained political neutrality.
“There is a body comprising all Christians, including Catholics and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and that body’s position is neutral and should remain so; otherwise, it becomes political,” Bwala stated.
The latest exchange has intensified the growing public debate over the role of religious leaders in Nigeria’s political discourse, with the Presidency and senior clerics increasingly divided over the country’s economic direction and the impact of the Tinubu administration’s reforms on millions of Nigerians.