Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Bola Tinubu and members of his media team of disrespecting the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Amaechi made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television while reacting to the controversy surrounding Cardinal Onaiyekan’s comments after a recent meeting between Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.
He argued that senior Catholic bishops deserve the same level of respect accorded to top public office holders, noting that a bishop’s jurisdiction is comparable to that of a state governor. According to him, bishops oversee entire dioceses just as governors administer their respective states.
Amaechi criticised comments from the Presidency over the meeting, insisting that public engagements involving the president cannot be regarded as private once they are conducted in the presence of cameras and other officials.
He also expressed concern that remarks by presidential aides amounted to an attack on the Catholic Church, saying criticism directed at Cardinal Onaiyekan was disrespectful to the Church.
Amaechi added that a Cardinal occupies one of the highest positions in the Catholic Church and plays a key role in the election of a Pope.
