Bwala: Cardinal Onaiyekan Represented Catholics, Not Entire Christian Community

Presidential spokesman on Policy Communication Daniel Bwala has said Cardinal John Onaiyekan did not speak on behalf of all Christians when he commented on the state of the nation following the meeting between President Bola Tinubu and Catholic bishops.

Bwala made the remarks on his X handle amid controversy surrounding Onaiyekan’s television interview after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) met with the President.

According to the presidential aide, the Catholic institution openly backed Labour Party candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election, and the Cardinal’s comments should be viewed against that background.

“Cardinal Onaiyekan wasn’t speaking for Christians; he was speaking for Catholics, the very institution rooting for Peter Obi. In fact, likely the institution where Peter Obi also said in 2022, ‘Take back your country.’ Therefore, Cardinal is more political than spiritual,” Bwala stated.

He stressed that the Cardinal’s remarks did not necessarily reflect the opinions of all Catholics, noting that many members of the church did not support Obi.

Bwala also backed President Tinubu’s reaction to the bishops’ concerns about the economy, saying the President was entitled to rely on official facts and statistics in defending his administration’s performance.

“The President was well within his right to disagree with their assertion as regards Nigeria’s economy based purely on facts, statistics and numbers put into context,” he said.

He further argued that the wider Christian community, which includes Catholics, should maintain political neutrality rather than becoming a platform for partisan interests.

“There is a body comprising all Christians, including the Catholics and Catholic Bishops Conference, and that body’s position is neutral and should be so; otherwise, it is political,” Bwala added.

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