In sane societies, President Bola Tinubu must be preparing his bags and baggage to exit the Aso Rock Presidential Villa come May 2027 due to the frustration of citizens on account of his government’s below average performance, but the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) fears that election manipulation which has bedeviled the country’s democratic process since 1999, may rear its ugly head again in next year’s general election to hand Tinubu another mandate of four years to lead the country deeper into the mess it has become
By Our Correspondent
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in Abuja, assured the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), that the ongoing restructuring of security operations and institutions will deliver victory over terrorism, banditry and kidnappings across the country.
On the said date, while receiving the leadership of the CBCN, led by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, the Archbishop of Kaduna, at the State House, President Tinubu insisted that Nigeria’s security architecture was being repositioned for greater efficiency.
President Tinubu stated that the security challenges are being confronted through enhanced intelligence gathering, restructuring and repositioning of security institutions, improved logistical support, and prioritisation of frontline personnel welfare.
He called on the CBCN and all religious leaders to actively condemn violent attacks, guide their members, and support government efforts to end insurgency.
Tinubu had said at the event, “We don’t have another country but here – this Nigeria. And I will refer to the national anthem that in our complexity and diversity, we shall thrive, live, rejoice and be good to all, and humanity.
“I have just approved the expansion of the armed forces. We are getting more equipment, building new barracks. We will defeat terrorism. It should be part of your sermons. I won’t deviate from our national anthem”.
On poverty alleviation, President Tinubu affirmed that the government would sustain interventions that directly improve the livelihoods of families and citizens, such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), adding that, “I have listened to you carefully, and most importantly, your key areas are security and education. I can tell you categorically with sincerity that the country has been placed on a sound footing. The economy has recovered. The alarm for bankruptcy and dark tunnel of uncertainty that we had when I came in has been changed.
“The spirit of the people is lifting, and the economic turmoil that we feared is cleared. The economy has been delivered from bankruptcy.
“I always say, because of my background and profession, that I inherited the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. I have been running with it. This government has stabilised, and there is prosperity on the horizon. Life is improving.
“We have no control over the population growth and trajectory. That is why you have membership in your various faiths, churches, to give hope to people and give commitment to humanity in the true sense of it. Our founding fathers did their best. They left us a nation, and we owe it to generations yet unborn to sustain it.
President Tinubu said unity, stability and prosperity of the country must be held sacrosanct by all stakeholders.
“To educate our children, I can say your children, because you are revered fathers. You can’t say a four-year course in the university is not four years now. ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to our homes. Is that not an answer to our prayers? For me, that’s answered prayer.
On preparations for the general elections, the president said INEC has been neutral, insisting that, “The opportunities are equal. INEC is neutral. They have never intimidated anyone. If political opponents are crying wolf, maybe they are afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep, not me.”
In his remarks, the President of the CBCN appreciated President Tinubu for the warm reception extended to the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of relations between Nigeria and the Vatican.
Mr Ndagoso outlined areas of concern in the country, which include security, quality tertiary education and limited spaces, sustaining gains of democracy, credible elections and increasing poverty among the populace. But these concerns were wished away by the President as if they were non-existent, according to sources privy to the meeting. Sources said the Catholic Bishops left the meeting with drawn faces on account of the cold responses of Tinubu to these issues bedeviling the country.
The delegation included, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, Archbishop of Lagos/CBCN Vice President; Most Rev. Peter Odetoyinbo, Bishop of Abeokuta/CBCN Secretary; Most Rev. Moses Chikwe, Auxiliary Bishop of Owerri/CBCN Assistant Secretary; John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja; Peter Cardinal Okpaleke, Bishop of Ekwulobia; Most Rev. Ignatius Kiagama, Archbishop of Abuja; Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, Archbishop of Ibadan; Most Rev. Valerian Okeke, Archbishop of Onitsha; Most Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, Bishop of Oyo; Most Rev. Gerald Musa, Bishop of Katsina and Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto.
Also in the delegation were Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, Bishop of Enugu; Most Rev Godfrey Onah, Bishop of Nsukka; Most Rev. Augustine Echema, Bishop of Aba; Most Rev. Christopher Naseri, Auxiliary Bishop of Calabar; Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, Secretary General; Rev. Fr. Peter Audu, Director, Church and Society Department; Rev. Fr. Michael Imhadowinyi and Dickson Adeyanju.
At a later date, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal Onaiyekan, had revealed in an interview that Tinubu had bluffed the CBCN members’ observation of the abysmal level Nigeria was descending under his leadership, but clearly told the delegation that he (Tinubu) would not agree with the Bishops’ on the state of the nation.
Cardinal Onaiyekan told his interviewers on Arise Television that President Tinubu rejected the Bishops’ concerns during the visit.
Onaiyekan said President Tinubu made it “quite clearly” known that he disagreed with the concerns raised by members of the CBCN during the meeting.
Featuring on Arise News on Friday, July 31, 2026, Archbishop Onaiyekan said, “When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the Head of State. We had to let him know. And his reply is that the nation is not bleeding. We told him the economy is not helping our poor people; he told us the economy is doing fine. Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us.
“Again, we were not surprised. We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty, we have delivered our message, and we have a feeling that somehow, along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said.”
“Let me say first and foremost that that statement read by our president was not just put together at random. It was carefully considered and with wide consultation. The Bishops’ Conference is bigger than the group of us that were there, but it is very representative of the Bishops’ Conference. So, it is the Catholic Bishops’ Conference that produced that document. It was written, rewritten, and corrected. So, it was not done at random, nor did we deliver it with levity.”
“I think I have an opportunity in this program to remind Nigerians that, as Bishops, we have no ambitions to take Mr. Tinubu’s job or anybody else’s job. We are not politicians running for office. We are, first and foremost, religious leaders who feel we have a duty—not just to preach our religious doctrines, but also to address the lives of our people, both those who are our members and those who are not. You can see that from the content and the tone of our statement.”
“You asked me what I saw on the face of the President in reaction. I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy, nor were his colleagues who were there. We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our President keeps receiving from all kinds of people. That is one of the things that worries us: there are so many people hanging around Mr. President, giving him a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not.
“We felt that we have a duty not to do that. Indeed, we have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. That is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. And his reply showed that very clearly.”
“He heard it, and he tried to tell us that he heard us, which is precisely why he replied the way he replied. He replied to the points we raised and disagreed with them, so he must have heard it.
“The real question now is, Is this disagreement his final position, or will there be people around him whose job it is to draw his attention that these guys who came here in white garments have not made any personal requests for oil wells or any particular personal things, and maybe he should listen to what they are saying?
“We believe one of the problems within our government right now is that there are not too many people telling him the truth, which is a pity. We need to have that, whether in terms of the economy, insecurity, and above all, the area of the political climate,” he said.
Turning to the country’s political climate, the bishop said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s warning about the “creeping danger” of a one-party dominant state was informed by concerns over the conduct of elections and the growing use of the powers of incumbency. He argued that politics should not be a contest where “everything can be done” simply to secure victory, warning that such an approach could undermine democracy.
“The position of Mr. President came very clearly in that statement that he made: ‘In politics, all is fair.’ Is that true? If that is what politics is—that in politics everything can be done provided you win elections. That is certainly not correct. There is propriety in everything. That is why we are worried about it. We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means, and unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal to win. They are deploying all those means in a way that eventually, even if we had a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.
“We gave two warnings. The first was the one you mentioned. The second is that if we do not rearrange our election system to make sure that elections are really free, fair, and credible, it can lead to difficulties.
“We warned that the country doesn’t gain anything by a one-party state in a so-called democracy. Of course, we are not expecting Mr. President to help the opposition to defeat him—no. But the point we are raising is that even though the President has all the powers of incumbency, in the election, he is a candidate like any other.
“He said that INEC is independent, but words are not enough. The Nigerian political system, the way it is now constructed, precisely is leading to a situation where INEC cannot be independent. The chairman, all the members, and all the commissioners have been appointed by the President.
“The presumption is that Mr. President will appoint independent, impartial, wonderful people. But on the ground, we see that standard politicians and members of his party are appointed. This means we have a situation where until we find a system where the membership of the electoral commission is put together not by Mr. President, but by a truly independent entity, that would remove the doubts.
“And that is not an impossible thing to do; it is done elsewhere. We could do it if we wanted to do it. Whether our present President is in the mood to go that direction, I don’t know.
“We are hoping that that kind of statement challenges him—that you have a reputation to be a democrat, and you can’t under your watch, watch our democratic structures disintegrate. Silence is consent, so he must agree with what we said. How he will do it, we don’t know. We still have this problem in Nigeria of how incumbents can simply allow a free and fair playground in elections. We still have that problem.
“I think we have done our duty. I have the feeling that somehow, there are people around him—they may not change everything overnight—but I hope nobody thought that any political party was sending us. There’s no way any political party can gather that kind of group from different parts of Nigeria. Is it that bishops have no political feelings of their own? We do have differences. But when it comes to what is important for Nigeria, when it comes to our existential existence, when it comes to the life of our people, we are united. We are united that we deserve more than what we are getting now. Therefore, when the government keeps congratulating itself, we feel that this is misplaced. Because it is not even looking at the difficulties, they are not doing enough to address those difficulties.”
In sharp reaction, the Presidency accused Onaiyekan of ‘abuse of clerical privilege’.
In a statement titled, “Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Abuse of Clerical Privilege”, Presidential Adviser Temitope Ajayi said it was inappropriate for the Catholic cleric to publicly give his account of the closed-door meeting with the President.
“There is something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu. It is, in my view, an abuse of clerical privilege.
“He acknowledged that significant economic and security challenges remain. His point was that the country has emerged from ‘a dark tunnel’, that his administration has laid the foundations for recovery and that the next phase is to ensure the greatest number of Nigerians feels the gains.
“So, when President Tinubu reminded the Bishops of these facts during the meeting, he was not, as Cardinal Onaiyekan later suggested, being aloof or dismissive. He was presenting evidence to support his argument that the country is not standing still. A disagreement over facts should not be interpreted as arrogance.
“As Commander-in-Chief, he receives operational briefings, intelligence assessments, and battlefield reports unavailable to the general public.
“Reciprocity should have dictated that the confidentiality and dignity of that engagement be preserved. As such, it was inappropriate for one of the participants to emerge almost immediately on national television to provide his own version of what was essentially a private conversation with the president. Public influence should be exercised with discretion, not by converting privileged access into a platform for post-meeting commentary”.
In defence of Bishop Onaiyekan, the Northern Christian Association (NCA), presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, and Senator Shehu Sani accused President Tinubu’s government of growing intolerant of dissent and uncomfortable truths.
In a statement, Chairman of the NCA, Rev. Joseph Hayab, warned against what he described as divisive politics, saying the association would resist any attempt to pit one Christian denomination against another.
He stressed that the NCA comprised members from Christian denominations in Northern Nigeria, including the Catholic Church, Baptist, ECWA, Methodist, Anglican and Pentecostal churches.
“We should tell Bwala to know that Catholics are Christians and Nigerians. Our members are Catholics, Baptists, ECWA, Methodists, Anglicans, Pentecostals and people of all denominations. We refuse to be divided by Bwala’s politics of division.
“Our Cardinal is our respected leader, and the Bishops that visited the President went to speak to him about humanity, Christians and all of us, not only Catholics.
“It is, therefore, shameful and a disservice to Tinubu for his spokesperson to disrespect our Cardinal.
“An honest counsel has been given to Mr President for his own good and for a better Nigeria.
“Any voice of greed, propaganda or disconnect with the citizens by any government appointee like Bwala should be seen as those destroying the country for their selfish interest, not minding the larger population.
“Sadly for people like Bwala, if things do not improve, we shall all suffer together and live to see our country not growing as it should be”.
Reacting in the same vein, former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, said Catholic Bishops had a long-standing tradition of speaking truth to power and had never been partisan.
He also defended Tinubu’s response to the bishops’ assessment of the economy, saying the president’s position was based on facts and statistics.
But in a post on his X handle on Saturday, August 1, 2026, Shehu Sani, also a public commentator, said the Catholic Bishops had consistently spoken truth to successive governments since the era of military rule.
“From the era of military rule and throughout the period of civilian governments, the Catholic Bishops have a consistent history of telling truth to power,’’ he said.
Senator Sani said the bishops had never been partisan in their dealings with political leaders, stating that they had always presented every president they visited with bitter kola instead of olive oil.
“They have never been partisan. Every President they visited, they bring him a gift of Bitter Kola instead of Olive Oil,” Sani wrote.
Another fiery Catholic Priest, Monsignor prof. Obiora Ike, insisted that Tinubu had an option to resign as the president if he found out that the national challenges have overwhelmed him. Speaking during a recent interview, Monsignor Ike said, “Persecution is what you get when you preach the gospel, and we don’t stop because we’re being persecuted.
“How can Nigerians be abandoning their country and the president and leadership, and political leadership is saying, ‘Let us manage, things are hard everywhere’. This is not why you’re there. You are not there just as a political leader. You have also a moral responsibility to address the issues of the country.
“And if you say it’s overwhelming, then resign. If people who work for the presidency, or work for government, or even work for other institutions peddling lies in pretence, in fiddling while Rome burns in not giving good advice, it doesn’t turn out. And to act as an attack dog on great people who are patriotic for our country is something that is not only unfortunate, but it is a disgrace.
“It’s not about defence, it’s about listening. People in positions of power must listen, and listening makes you stronger.
“We don’t say he’s not doing well. He’s doing his best. But sometimes you do your best and it’s still not enough. And the enormity of the challenges of modern society is so much for one person to solve. But government cannot say, because I’m doing well, I’ve done it all, don’t tell me anything”.
Professor Ike added that the CBCN-Tinubu meeting was never meant to be a secret, saying insecurity is not a secret, educational imbalance is not a secret, the fact that the economy is low, is it a secret?
Speaking against Tinubu’s low performance as President of the federal republic, Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele made a fresh prophecy, raising concerns about those around the Nigerian leader. The Lagos-based cleric claimed Tinubu’s eyes have been spiritually covered and added that this has affected how he responds to genuine counsel. Primate Ayodele warned that good advisers are being driven away from the president by purported bad people surrounding him.
Primate Ayodele on Sunday, August 2, issued a strong warning about President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the Nigerian leader was operating under a spiritual spell that is causing him to reject sound advice and push away well-meaning people. The cleric, who leads the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church in Lagos, stated that those closest to Tinubu are not acting in his best interest, and that the president’s inability to heed good counsel will cost him dearly.
“Tinubu, if you like, they advise you to do the right thing, don’t do it. Those advising you, when you lose, your eyes will be opened. I said your eyes has been covered, with juju. They have cast spell on Tinubu’s eyes. So, when you tell him, ‘Oga, this is not the right thing’, he will hate you. Bad people will send all the good advisers away”.
In a sober reaction to series of backlash trailing Onaiyekan’s interview, the Presidency said Tinubu government was ready to deepen consultation with the CBCN, and other faith-based groups, insisting that many of Nigeria’s challenges could only be resolved through sustained partnership with religious and civil society institutions.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, gave the assurance in a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga.
Akume said the administration would sustain engagement with the Bishops and other stakeholders on the concerns raised during the meeting, describing such collaboration as central to advancing the national interest.
“The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will continue consultations with the leadership of the Catholic Bishops Conference, other faith-based organisations and relevant stakeholders on the issues raised during the meeting and on areas where greater collaboration can advance the national interest,” he said.
Burning National Issues Traumatize Tinubu’s Reelection
Unresolved monumental national issues for which the CBCN insisted that President Tinubu feigned ignorance of their existence dominated his meeting with the Catholic bishops. According to sources, Tinubu had tried to sugar-coat his responses to these drawbacks of the country before the clergies to no avail. But not intending to engage the president in a needless argument over the issues, CBCN chose to allow Tinubu have his way, but to continue to engage in other ways which prompted Cardinal Onaiyekan letting the cat out of the bag in the Arise Television interview.
One of the concerns of the CBCN is the President’s Muslim-Muslim ticket for the second time for which Northern Christians are offended.
For example, the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has renewed its opposition to President Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, calling on the President to forgo a second-term bid in 2027 and instead focus on restructuring Nigeria and laying the foundation for a new constitutional order.
The position was contained in a communiqué issued after the Forum’s July 2026 meeting and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Samuel Danjuma Gani.
The Christian elders said the Tinubu administration had failed to meet citizens’ expectations in critical areas, particularly security, economic management and public welfare, arguing that the government had not fulfilled its constitutional obligation under Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which places the security and welfare of the people as the primary purpose of government.
Similarly, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) said Christians in the country would respond appropriately to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC on the day of the presidential election.
Bishop of Kubwa Diocese, Rev. Dr. Duke Akamisoko, stated this in Abuja during a press conference, ahead of the forthcoming synod of the church, themed: ‘I chose and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain.’
APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, a Muslim from the southwest, had, on July 10, announced Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from the northeast, as running mate.
Akamisoko described the same-religion ticket as totally unacceptable to the Christian community, saying it constitutes a gross abuse of “our collective sensitivity as a nation.”
He said: “This is a demonstration of insensitivity to the plurality of religion; the polarised nature of Nigeria; the plight of Christians in Nigeria and the feelings of Christians in northern Nigeria.
“In fact, it is a direct insult on the entire Christendom. APC has made a choice; it is left for Christians in Nigeria to also make their choice.
“There can never be a rational explanation for such a selfish, greedy and self-centered decision by the APC. It is irresponsible of APC to take its political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria.
“The party ought to have taken a cue from the opposition, and how President Muhammadu Buhari opted for a Christian running mate in 2015 instead of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.”
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, also condemned the decision of the presidential candidate of the APC, Tinubu, to run with a Northern Muslim candidate, Kashim Shettima.
He described the Muslim-Muslim ticket as a direct attack on Christians, noting that the party produced a Muslim presidential candidate and that most of the party officials are all Muslims.
The CBCN was also concerned about the clindestine moves to reduce the country to a one-party state, allegedly using the judiciary and INEC as willing tools. But even when a few strong opposition parties including the NDC and ADC appeared to have emerged from the fire, the opposition APC and the presidency are allegedly scheming to push these parties out of the contest.
The economic hardship in the country, which is another burning issue, reached its crescendo last week prompting Atiku to raise critical issues about the collapse of the manufacturing sector under Tinubu.
Atiku said the collapse of 767 manufacturing companies and the distress facing 335 others expose President Bola Tinubu’s claims of economic prosperity as nothing more than propaganda.
In a statement on Monday, August 3, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said no government could credibly celebrate macroeconomic recovery while the productive base of the economy was grinding to a halt.
“A government cannot claim its economic policies are working when the country’s industrial sector is actively shutting down. Nations do not build prosperity by celebrating macroeconomic statistics while their factories close their gates,” the statement read.
The Presidency had insisted that the administration’s reforms are yielding positive results and rejected allegations of fiscal recklessness, excessive borrowing and mismanagement of public finances.
However, citing figures from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN, Atiku said manufacturers were sitting on approximately ₦2.14 trillion worth of unsold finished goods, not for lack of demand but because millions of Nigerians have lost the purchasing power to buy basic necessities.
He listed multinational companies including Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi and Kimberly-Clark as having either shut down or exited local manufacturing operations, alongside indigenous firms such as Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing, which he said had also been forced to suspend production.
The former Vice President added that local manufacturers spent about ₦1.11 trillion on diesel alone to keep factories running after electricity tariffs for Band A customers rose sharply, deepening the cost of doing business.
Election rigging and manipulated elections have allegedly worsened under Tinubu. Numerous voices, including that of the now incarcerated Nasir el’Rufai, a former minister and governor, have claimed that Tinubu did not win the 2023 presidential election but was manipulated to win through the glitch which occured as the results were being uploaded. The CBCN is alleged to be suspicious of another manipulation in 2027 which may have an adverse effect on the continued existence of Nigeria.
