Former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has blasted Methodist Bishop and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, NCPC, Stephen Adegbite, over his criticism of Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan.
In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Saturday, Dalung said Catholic Bishops retain the right to criticise the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
His remark stemmed from the recent comments from Adegbite concerning criticism of the Tinubu administration by Onaiyekan.
Recall that Adegbite had said Onaiyekan and others are free to support presidential candidates of their choice but should not run down other contenders.
According to him, discussions held during the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, meeting with the president should have remained confidential.
Reacting, the former minister accused Adegbite of attempting to portray the Catholic bishops as opponents of the Tinubu administration because of their criticism of government policies.
He stressed that there is nothing wrong in Adegbite supporting the president, arguing that questioning the motives of the Catholic bishops without evidence was inappropriate.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with a bishop supporting a President.
“There is nothing wrong with him believing that Tinubu is doing a good job. There is nothing wrong with him defending the government when he believes the government is being unfairly attacked. He should rather provide facts of his criticism,” Dalung said.
Cardinal Onaiyekan: Show facts on your criticism —Ex-Buhari’s minister knocks Adegbite