Rights group says cleric acted in public interest after meeting with President
Defends Arise TV interview, accuses presidential aides of disrespect
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has defended the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, following criticisms by presidential aides Daniel Bwala and Temitope Ajayi over his comments on the recent meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The rights group described the attacks on the cleric as disrespectful and unwarranted, insisting that Onaiyekan’s television interview was in the public interest and reflected the concerns of millions of Nigerians.
In a statement on Sunday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, faulted Bwala’s claim that the cardinal spoke only for Catholics and rejected Ajayi’s assertion that the cleric breached the confidentiality of the meeting by granting an interview to Arise Television.
Ajayi, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, had argued that while the Catholic bishops fulfilled their moral obligation by presenting their concerns to the President, participants were expected to preserve the dignity and confidentiality of the engagement rather than publicly interpret the discussions.
He maintained that clerics, by virtue of their office, should exercise restraint and discretion when commenting on private meetings with the President.
But HURIWA disagreed, arguing that the meeting between President Tinubu and the Catholic bishops was neither secret nor confidential, having been widely covered by the media.
The group said Onaiyekan merely offered his assessment of issues already in the public domain and did not disclose any privileged information.
According to HURIWA, the cardinal spoke not only for Catholics but for millions of Nigerians battling poverty and economic hardship, insisting that his intervention reflected broader national concerns rather than sectarian interests.
The group also accused the presidential aides of showing little appreciation of Nigeria’s democratic history, noting that Cardinal Onaiyekan has, for decades, consistently engaged successive administrations and spoken openly on matters of national importance.
HURIWA further argued that the cleric’s comments on the forthcoming 2027 elections were a legitimate call for credible, free and transparent polls and should not be interpreted as a breach of confidence.
Questioning the basis of the criticism, the group asked whether the meeting between the President and the bishops was conducted under any oath of secrecy.
“How did Archbishop Emeritus John Cardinal Onaiyekan abuse any privilege? Was the meeting a secret conversation? Is President Tinubu not the President of all Nigerians, and are the bishops not spiritual leaders of millions of citizens?” the statement queried.
HURIWA maintained that Onaiyekan deserved commendation rather than criticism for, in its view, speaking truth to power and reminding political leaders and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of their constitutional responsibility to ensure credible elections in 2027.
The group urged presidential aides to respect dissenting voices and refrain from attacking senior religious leaders for expressing opinions on issues of national importance.