The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, says President Bola Tinubu maintains a cordial relationship with the Catholic Church, vowing to resign from the All Progressives Congress (APC) if Tinubu ever disrespects the Catholic bishops or the opposition.
He stated this yesterday while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he dismissed claims that the President had insulted the Catholic Church amid recent controversy over remarks by Catholic leaders on the state of the country.
Kalu, a former Abia governor and ex-Chief Whip of the Senate, described the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) as the conscience of the nation whose views should not be misconstrued as hostility towards the government.
According to him, “Tinubu did not insult the Catholic Church. This is not the first time the Catholic Church has gone to President Tinubu. In every country, from DRC, Angola to South Africa, and anywhere, the Catholic and other churches are always the conscience of the country.
“I do not see anything wrong in what the Catholic bishops said. 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.
“For me, Tinubu is not an enemy to the Catholic bishops. The President has a very good relationship with the Catholic Church. Anytime they asked for an audience, he has given it to them because any president dodging Catholic bishops is dodging himself. What politicians cannot tell the president, the Catholic bishops will say it.
“It is not true. If you hear him well, he said we will have a fair contest, and he will not touch anybody. Any day President Tinubu disrespects the opposition or Catholic bishops, I will resign from the APC.”
The controversy followed recent exchanges between the Presidency and Cardinal John Onaiyekan after the cleric recounted a meeting with President Tinubu in which he said he expressed concerns over Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship and insecurity.
Following the Cardinal’s account, presidential aides publicly challenged aspects of his comments, drawing criticism from sections of the Christian community, who viewed the responses as disrespectful to both the Cardinal and the Catholic Church.
