Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has defended President Bola Tinubu against allegations that he disrespected the Catholic Church, insisting that the President enjoys a cordial relationship with the Catholic bishops and has always maintained an open-door policy towards them.
Kalu made the remarks on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today while reacting to the controversy that followed the recent meeting between President Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The controversy was fuelled by comments from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, who alleged that Tinubu had insulted the Catholic bishops following the meeting.
However, Kalu rejected the claim, maintaining that there was no disrespect towards the Church.
“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 noted that the concerns raised after the meeting reflected the longstanding tradition of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, which he said has consistently commented on national issues since 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.
He added, “Since the military rule, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference hold its conference every year where they talk and issue a statement about the state of the nation.”
Kalu further stressed that Tinubu should not be viewed as an adversary of the Catholic 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.
Highlighting the relationship between the presidency and the Church, Kalu said Tinubu has consistently granted requests for meetings from Catholic leaders.
“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.
