Amaechi counters Wike’s claim, says ‘Onaiyekan supports nobody’ 

Former Minister of Transportation, and vice presidential candidate of the African Democratic Party, (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has defended Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, insisting that the cleric has no political affiliation and does not support any politician.

Amaechi made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday while reacting to claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Catholic cleric was not impartial during the 2023 general election.

The former Rivers State governor said he had to suspend the traditional mourning of his late mother to appear on the programme because he considered it necessary to defend his Christian faith amid the controversy surrounding the cardinal.

Responding to Wike’s allegation that Onaiyekan had a political leaning, Amaechi dismissed the claim, describing the cleric as politically neutral.

“He supports nobody. I see Cardinal Onaiyekan regularly, I worship at his chapel. He has no political leaning, the Catholic Church has no political leaning. Cardinal Onaiyekan himself supports nobody,” Amaechi said.

He added that his interactions with the cardinal over the years had convinced him that the cleric’s concerns were centred on the country’s worsening socio-economic conditions rather than partisan politics.

“I’ve had several conversations with him, the only thing that pains him is the level of indiscretion and poverty in the country,” he added.

Rejecting claims that the Cardinal’s comments were politically motivated, Amaechi argued 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,” he 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 criticised the Presidency’s response to Onaiyekan, saying government officials should engage religious leaders with respect rather than attempt to silence them.

Earlier, Wike had questioned Onaiyekan’s neutrality while reacting to the controversy that followed the cardinal’s remarks after a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

Speaking during a media parley on Tuesday, Wike argued that the cleric’s repeated criticism of the government made it difficult to regard him as impartial.

“If a religious leader is perceived or seen to be taking a side, which is very clear, it is very difficult for people to begin to see those comments as being helpful,” Wike said.

The FCT minister further claimed: “I am aware of the position of Cardinal Onaiyekan; all of us know, it’s not hidden, whom he supports; everybody knows that.”