The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has criticised what he described as attacks on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and its former president, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to embrace constructive criticism rather than dismiss concerns over the country’s challenges.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Obi said the country’s socio-economic and security situation continued to deteriorate, adding that governments should be willing to listen to voices drawing attention to the hardships faced by Nigerians.

He argued that the Catholic Church had consistently maintained an independent and principled position on national issues, irrespective of the administration in power, and should not be portrayed as acting as a political opposition.

According to Obi, the CBCN’s interventions over the years have been guided by moral responsibility and Christian social teaching aimed at promoting truth, justice and the common good.

He noted that other major religious organisations, including Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), had also repeatedly expressed concerns over rising insecurity, inflation, unemployment and the cost of living.

The former Anambra State governor said religious leaders were often among the first to witness the effects of economic hardship on citizens because of their close interactions with communities.

Obi maintained that political leaders should welcome honest feedback from religious and traditional institutions, recalling that as governor of Anambra State, he benefited from regular criticism and advice from the state’s traditional rulers and religious leaders.

He said their contributions helped improve governance, particularly in the education and health sectors.

The NDC presidential candidate described the criticism directed at the CBCN and Cardinal Onaiyekan following the bishops’ recent comments on the state of the nation as “deeply troubling.”

Drawing a historical comparison, Obi recalled that during the 1998 visit of Pope John Paul II to Nigeria, the late pontiff openly challenged the military government of General Sani Abacha over issues including the detention of Chief Moshood Abiola, without attracting the kind of public attacks now directed at church leaders.

He also referenced President Tinubu’s attendance at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome, where the Nigerian leader participated in the papal inauguration ceremonies alongside other world leaders.

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Obi argued that while the President demonstrated respect for the Catholic Church during the event, the reaction of some of his aides and supporters to the CBCN’s recent remarks appeared inconsistent with that posture.

According to him, attempts to frame the bishops’ observations as a religious issue ignored the reality that insecurity, inflation, unemployment and poverty affected Nigerians irrespective of their faith or ethnicity.

“The bishops merely expressed what millions of Nigerians experience daily,” Obi said, listing worsening insecurity, rising poverty, inflation, struggling businesses and declining public optimism among the concerns highlighted by the clerics.

He criticised what he described as personal attacks on Cardinal Onaiyekan instead of engagement with the substance of the bishops’ message.

Obi urged the Federal Government to focus on addressing the issues raised by religious leaders and other stakeholders, insisting that constructive criticism should be seen as an opportunity to improve governance rather than as a political attack.