Former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has called on President Bola Tinubu and members of his administration to refrain from what he described as attacks on the Catholic Church and the Christian faith following recent remarks by John Cardinal Onaiyekan.
The Punch reported that Amaechi made the appeal on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explaining that he suspended his mourning period for his late mother to respond to what he considered disrespectful comments by presidential aides directed at the Catholic Church.
“I came here simply to say, please ask the President to stop insulting the Catholic Church, to stop insulting Christians. They should respect God and respect the Christian faith. They should stop insulting Christians,” Amaechi said.
The former minister insisted that his comments were not connected to politics but were prompted by what he described as repeated attacks on Christian leaders.
“I’m not here to discuss politics. What I’m going to discuss is that they should leave the Catholic Church alone. They should respect God and respect the Christian faith,” he said.
Amaechi stressed that he respected both Christianity and Islam and cautioned political leaders against making comments capable of deepening religious divisions in the country.
He maintained that the criticism aimed at Cardinal Onaiyekan should be seen as an attack on the Christian faith.
“I don’t believe in religious differences. If you come to my house and you’re a Muslim, there is a place for Muslims to worship. If you’re a Christian, there is a chapel for Christians to worship. I believe in that, but not to insult my God,” he said.
Amaechi argued that such remarks would not have been made if the issue had involved a prominent Islamic leader.
“If the Sultan had confronted the President, would they have insulted him? We’ve been insulted because we are Christians,” Amaechi said.
He also defended the Catholic Church’s leadership, saying its bishops were highly educated and deserved to be treated with respect.
“You can’t be a Catholic priest without studying. You can’t become a bishop without proper qualifications. They should respect our bishops,” he said.
When asked whether he expected President Tinubu or the Presidency to apologise, Amaechi said that decision belonged entirely to the Catholic bishops.
“That is their business. If the bishops demand that, fine. But that is their business,” he said.
The former Rivers governor further warned against using religion as a political tool, saying such actions could worsen tensions in Nigeria’s multi-faith society.
The controversy followed recent exchanges between the Presidency and Cardinal Onaiyekan after the cleric recounted a meeting with President Tinubu, during which he said he raised concerns about the country’s worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
Presidential aides subsequently disputed aspects of the Cardinal’s account, attracting criticism from sections of the Christian community, who viewed the responses as disrespectful to both the cleric and the Catholic Church.
Amaechi urged the Presidency to avoid further criticism of the Church, insisting that disagreements with religious leaders should not result in insults directed at Christianity.
“I think they have no respect for the Catholic Church. I think they have no respect for the Christian faith,” he said.
Amaechi, who is the African Democratic Congress’ vice-presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, added, “When it’s time for politics, we’re ready to abuse anybody and descend as low as they want,” he stated.
