Atiku Abubakar Demands Apology to Cardinal Onaiyekan

On Sunday, Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, criticized President Bola Tinubu's administration for its intolerance towards dissent and accused it of using "statistical manipulation" to obscure Nigeria's economic issues. He condemned the Presidency's criticism of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, demanding an immediate apology to him and the Catholic Church.

Atiku stated that the Presidency chose political attacks over addressing the concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria regarding the nation's state. He described the Catholic Church as a vital moral voice in Nigeria, emphasizing its leaders' role in defending the poor and vulnerable.

Atiku praised the bishops for their courage in confronting the President with the truth about the nation's situation and defended Cardinal Onaiyekan's decision to speak to the press after the meeting, asserting it was an effort to clarify the facts amidst the Presidency's narrative control.