It Wasn’t Disrespectful’ – Tinubu’s Aide Defends Response To Cardinal Onaiyekan

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has clarified his recent remarks concerning Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, insisting that his response was not intended to disrespect the respected cleric or the Catholic Church.

According to Ireporter Online, Ajayi made the clarification during an interview on ARISE TV on Thursday, following criticism of his earlier reaction to Onaiyekan’s public account of a meeting between President Tinubu and Catholic bishops.

Onaiyekan had met with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja alongside leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. The meeting focused on major national issues, including insecurity, tertiary education, democracy, credible elections and poverty.

Following the meeting, Onaiyekan discussed some aspects of the encounter during a television interview, prompting a response from the presidential aide.

Ajayi had described the public disclosure of details from the private meeting as an “abuse of clerical privilege.” However, he has now explained that his intention was simply to provide a different perspective on the cardinal’s account.

The presidential aide said Onaiyekan remains a highly respected figure and maintained that his comments were not aimed at questioning the cleric’s status or reputation.

“Well, I think that episode has been closed. Cardinal Onaiyekan is a respected clergy and a statement in his own right,” Ajayi said.

He added that his response “did not in any way disrespect him or disrespect his standing in society and the church,” describing Onaiyekan as one of the leaders of the faith.

Ajayi further explained that he merely wanted to offer an alternative interpretation of the interaction between the President and the Catholic delegation.

“I only tried to provide a different perspective from his own account of the bishop’s encounter with the president, and I think that point has been made,” he said.

The presidential aide subsequently indicated that he had no intention of prolonging the disagreement, stressing that the issue should now be regarded as settled.