Church Must Speak Truth to Power, Amaechi Defends Onaiyekan

The vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has defended Cardinal John Onaiyekan, insisting that the church has a duty to speak truth to those in authority regardless of political consequences.

Amaechi made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television, while reacting to the controversy surrounding recent comments by the former Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja.

Cardinal Onaiyekan had recently alleged that the current administration appeared determined to secure victory in the 2027 general elections “by all means,” a statement that drew criticism from the Presidency and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Responding to the criticism, Amaechi argued that the church has a longstanding responsibility to provide moral guidance and hold governments accountable.

“The church has it as its responsibility to speak truth to power always,” Amaechi said.

According to him, rather than criticising the cardinal, the Federal Government should have reassured Nigerians about its commitment to conducting free and credible elections.

“When the Catholic Church is crying about the possibility of having an election that may not be fair, what the president needs to do is to reassure the country and not attack the clergyman. That’s an insult on the church,” he stated.

Amaechi further condemned what he described as the growing disrespect directed at senior religious leaders because of political disagreements.

He noted that Cardinal Onaiyekan had served the church faithfully for decades and deserved respect regardless of differing political opinions.

“Because of politics, those who were kids when Cardinal Onaiyekan started his ecclesiastical ministry are now disrespecting the man of God,” he added.

The former Minister of Transportation maintained that religious institutions should not be discouraged from commenting on national issues, particularly those relating to governance, justice and the electoral process.

Amaechi’s comments come amid an ongoing public exchange between the Presidency and leaders of the Catholic Church following the bishops’ recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu, during which concerns were raised about the economy, security and the state of the nation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He urged political leaders to embrace constructive criticism instead of responding with personal attacks against respected religious figures.