Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North Senatorial District, has backed the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), saying the bishops are better positioned to present the true state of the nation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu than politicians.
Kalu, speaking in a viral video, described the Catholic bishops as the nation’s moral conscience and commended their recent meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they raised concerns over the country’s economic hardship and insecurity.
According to the former Abia State governor, the bishops’ intervention was not intended to undermine the president but to present an honest assessment of the country’s realities.
“The Catholic bishops are the conscience of the country, and once they give advice, their advice is not for or against anybody. There are real difficulties in Nigeria, but they are not President Tinubu’s fault. Even if we politicians can lie to him, the bishops will tell him the truth about the current reality of the country. It encourages the president to work harder,” Kalu said.
His remarks come amid a growing debate following comments by the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Onaiyekan disclosed that Tinubu disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the country’s worsening economic conditions and security challenges during their meeting at the State House, insisting that his administration remained on the right path.
The cardinal’s comments drew swift reactions from the Presidency. The President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, criticised Onaiyekan’s remarks, describing them as politically motivated. He argued that the cleric was venturing into politics rather than remaining within the bounds of spiritual leadership. He maintained that the administration’s position is supported by available economic data.
Also weighing in on the controversy, former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani defended the Catholic bishops, saying they have consistently spoken truth to power irrespective of the government in office.
In a post on his verified X account, Sani said the Catholic clergy had maintained a long-standing tradition of offering honest counsel to leaders under both military and democratic administrations.
“From the era of military rule and throughout the period of civilian governments, the Catholic bishops have a consistent history of telling truth to power. They have never been partisan. Every president they visited, they bring him a gift of bitter kola instead of olive oil,” Sani wrote.
Skyline News reports that both Kalu and Sani are chieftains of the APC, the party on which Tinubu is seeking re-election in 2027.
