Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said President Bola Tinubu did not abuse the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), dismissing claims that the President disrespected the Church following a recent meeting with its members.
Kalu spoke on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, reacting to the controversy sparked by African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, who had alleged that Tinubu insulted the Catholic bishops after the meeting.
Rejecting the claim, Kalu maintained that there was no disrespect towards the Church, noting that engagements between the Presidency and the Catholic Church were nothing new.
“This is not the first time that the Catholic Church is going to President Tinubu. In every country, from DRC to Angola, to South Africa and anywhere, the Catholic Church and other churches are always the conscience of the country,” he said.
The former Abia State governor said the concerns raised after the meeting were consistent with a longstanding tradition of the CBCN commenting on national issues, stretching back to the era of military rule.
“I do not see anything wrong in what the Catholic bishops said. Those discussions were made by Archbishop Danagoro of Kaduna State, the current president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and not even Onaiyekan,” Kalu stated.
“Since the military rule, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference holds its conference every year where they talk and issue a statement about the state of the nation.”
Kalu stressed that Tinubu should not be viewed as an adversary of the Church.
“For me, Tinubu is not an enemy to the Catholic bishops; he’s one of their best friends and I don’t feel insulted.
“Tinubu in no means insulted the Catholic bishops. I didn’t see it,” he said.
He further highlighted what he described as a cordial relationship between the Presidency and Catholic leaders, saying Tinubu had consistently granted their requests for audience.
“President Tinubu has a very good relationship with the Catholic Church. Anytime they have asked for an audience, he has given it to them because any president dodging Catholic bishops is dodging himself, because what politicians cannot tell the president, the Catholic bishops will say it,” he added.
