By Taiwo Scholastica and Precious Mark
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday warned politicians planning to challenge him in the 2027 presidential election that he would not surrender his position without a contest.
The President made the statement when he received members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu said he was prepared to face his political opponents in what he described as a fair democratic contest.
“Those who would take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and there is equal opportunity. I won’t offer them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me at home. No, we will wrestle each other to the finishing point. That’s the truth. That is fair in politics,” the President told the bishops.
The President also dismissed allegations of bias against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that the electoral body remains neutral.
“INEC is neutral. It has never, ever intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolf, then they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the company they keep,” he argued.
During the meeting, which lasted about an hour, Tinubu stated that the difficult economic reforms introduced by his administration over the past three years were beginning to yield results.
He pointed to the uninterrupted academic calendar in Nigerian universities as one of the achievements directly affecting ordinary citizens.
The President described the absence of industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as an answer to the prayers of Nigerians.
“None of your children in university today and I would say they are all your children because you are Reverend Fathers can say a four-year course is not four years.”
“ASUU is not on strike. They are not bringing agony to your homes. Is that not an answer to our prayers? To me, that’s an answer,” he said.
Tinubu also acknowledged the economic challenges inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, but maintained that his government has managed to stabilize the situation.
According to him, the country is now moving toward prosperity, with improvements expected in the overall quality of life.
“This government has stabilized, and there is prosperity on the horizon. The quality of life is improving,” he said, adding that he has never shied away from the tough decisions required to govern the country.
“I inherited it. I didn’t run away. I asked for this job. I’m in it,” he added.
Addressing the issue of returning mission schools to their original proprietors, a matter that remains a key concern for the Catholic Church in its dealings with various state governments, Tinubu recalled that he returned mission schools to the Church during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, noting that Cardinal Anthony Okogie could attest to that decision.
However, he explained that jurisdiction over these schools rests with state governments and urged the bishops to engage governors directly in their respective states.
“The schools are in the states. Preach to them, the governors of your states. They do the job. There is no need for a constitutional amendment for that. That is part of democracy: choice,” he said.
On national security challenges and the imperative of unity, Tinubu stressed that Nigeria’s issues require collective efforts across generations.
“The security situation is what it is. We don’t have another country but this one,” he said. “This is Nigeria. And we revert to our national anthem: in its complexity and diversity, we shall thrive, live, rejoice, and be good to all of us. Our founding fathers did their best. They left us a nation, and we owe it to generations yet unborn to build a nation of unity, stability, and prosperity for the future.”
The delegation of Catholic bishops, led by Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, departed the Presidential Villa shortly after 5:00 p.m. following the conclusion of the meeting.