State of the Nation: Amaechi Defends Cardinal Onaiyekan, Says: He’s Patriotic, Supports Nobody
Former Transportation Minister and vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the 2027 election, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Tuesday, rose in stout defence of the emeritus Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, against the backlash of his recent criticism of the Tinubu Administration, with many describing his comments as politically motivated.
But appearing on Channels Television’s flagship political programme, Politic Today, Tuesday night, the former Rivers Governor Amaechi dismissed the attacks on Cardinal Onaiyekan saying the renowned Catholic cleric was only carrying out his patriotic duty for Nigeria and that he had nothing personal against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Amaechi, who recently lost his mother, and who refused to bee drawn into any deep political engagement by the anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, because he is mourning his Mum, maintained that the outspoken Cardinal was not backing any political party or candidate but was speaking out over the pervasive hardship, poverty and corruption in the land.
“He supports nobody,” Amaechi declared. “I see Cardinal Onaiyekan regularly; I worship in his private chapel. Cardinal Onaiyekan himself supports nobody. I have had several conversations with him. The only thing that pains him is the level of indiscretion and poverty in the country and corruption. He worries about that.”
Rubbishing the notion that the Cardinal’s comments were politically motivated, Amaechi insisted that Onaiyekan merely expressed genuine concerns about the state of the nation.
“I just think that they tried to intimidate him, because election is very far away, so they are trying to intimidate him the way they are trying to intimidate the population,” the former Minister said.
Amaechi maintained that the cleric had done nothing wrong by speaking publicly and insisted that religious leaders have a duty to hold governments accountable whenever they believe Nigerians are suffering.
He also criticized the Presidency’s response to Onaiyekan, saying government officials should engage religious leaders with respect rather than attempt to silence them.
The controversy erupted after a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN, led by its President and Archbishop of Kaduna, Mathew Man-Oso Ndagoso, met President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa last Tuesday, July 28, 2026, and told the president that commendable as some of his administration’s policies were, Nigerians were suffering.
Speaking after the meeting, Cardinal Onaiyekan said the bishops told the President that Nigeria was “bleeding” and that many citizens were grappling with severe economic hardship. He also revealed that President Tinubu rejected that assessment, insisting the economy was performing well.
He further disclosed that the bishops raised concerns about the 2027 general election and the need to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process.
His remarks drew flaks and severe criticism from the Presidency, with presidential aides unleashing a wave of attacks on him, accusing him of making a private meeting public and misrepresenting what transpired. They also defended the administration’s economic policies, insisting the government’s reforms were producing positive results.
Onaiyekan also alleged that the President was being shielded from the realities facing Nigerians by some of his aides and warned that the administration appeared determined to retain power in the 2027 elections.
During his monthly media chat on Tuesday, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, accused Cardinal Onaiyekan of political bias, declaring that his criticisms of the Tinubu administration were driven by sympathy for opposition figures.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, however, backed Onaiyekan, faulting the Presidency’s reaction and urging the government to focus on addressing the country’s economic and security challenges instead of attacking the cleric.
