Author: Gist Correspondent

Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that he would resign from the All Progressives Congress (APC) if President Bola Tinubu ever disrespects the opposition or the Catholic Church.

Speaking during Wednesday's television programme, the former Abia State governor defended the President, insisting Tinubu had not insulted Catholic bishops and therefore had no reason to apologise over the controversy surrounding his recent meeting with leaders of the Catholic Church.

Kalu maintained that President Tinubu held the Catholic Church in high esteem and could never deliberately disrespect its leaders, stressing that he had seen nothing in the President's remarks that warranted an apology.

He, however, said he would not hesitate to leave the ruling party if the President ever showed contempt for either the opposition or the Catholic Church.

The senator described Tinubu as one of the Church's close allies, noting that the Catholic bishops were free to express concerns directly to the President without fear or intimidation.

Kalu also dismissed suggestions that comments made by Cardinal John Onaiyekan after the meeting represented the official position of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), saying they reflected the cardinal's personal opinion.

According to him, the conference president formally presented the communiqué after the meeting, while individual cardinals and archbishops remained entitled to their personal views.

The controversy followed Cardinal Onaiyekan's remarks after the meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, where he said the bishops informed the President that Nigeria was "bleeding" due to widespread economic hardship and also expressed concerns over the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

The comments sparked sharp political reactions, with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing the cleric of political bias.

However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi defended the cardinal, arguing that he merely highlighted the realities of hardship, poverty and corruption facing Nigerians while urging the Federal Government to focus on addressing the nation's economic and security challenges.

President Tinubu, during the meeting with the bishops, rejected allegations that his administration was intimidating the opposition and declared that he remained committed to democratic competition without offering political opponents what he described as a “red carpet.”