ABUJA – Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday took a swipe at Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, accusing him of taking sides during the 2023 presidential election and questioning his claim to political neutrality.
Wike spoke during his monthly media briefing in Abuja while reacting to the controversy sparked by the cardinal’s comments after a recent closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
Cardinal Onaiyekan had alleged that those around President Tinubu were painting a “rosy picture” of the country and suggested that the President was already focused on winning the 2027 election. The Presidency later faulted the cleric for disclosing details of the private meeting.
Reacting, Wike said Nigerians already knew where the cardinal stood politically during the 2023 elections.
“If a religious leader is seen to be taking sides, which is very clear, it becomes difficult for people to see such comments as objective,” he said.
“I know the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan. All of us know it. It is not hidden who he supported. Everybody knows.”
The FCT minister said religious leaders should be fair enough to acknowledge government achievements instead of focusing only on criticism.
“It shouldn’t always be that everything is bad. Nobody hears you say government has done well in any area. As a leader, you should commend government where it performs well and criticise where there is room for improvement,” Wike stated.
According to him, when respected public figures consistently attack the government without recognising its successes, such interventions are likely to be viewed as politically motivated.
The former Rivers State governor also dismissed claims that the Catholic bishops remained non-partisan during the last general election.
“Don’t tell me they were not partisan. Everybody knows what happened in 2023. Religious leaders took sides, and it was very obvious,” he declared.
Wike insisted that it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise.
“I would be deceiving myself if I sit here and say somebody is impartial. We know ourselves in this country. We know who supported whom during the 2023 election. It was obvious,” he said.
