{OPINION} 2027: Why the APC’s declaration of war on religious institutions is immoral and unacceptable
By Mohammed Bello Doka
3 August, 2026
They have declared war on religious institutions, and in doing so, they have revealed themselves to be a band of reckless, undisciplined and poorly trained desperadoes who will stop at nothing to silence the voice of truth.
There is a stench of moral decay emanating from the highest corridors of power in Nigeria, and it is becoming unbearable. The All Progressives Congress has crossed a line so sacred that even the most hardened cynics are left gasping in disbelief. They have declared war on religious institutions, and in doing so, they have revealed themselves to be a band of reckless, undisciplined and poorly trained desperadoes who will stop at nothing to silence the voice of truth. This is not politics. This is a descent into the abyss of immorality, and every Nigerian of conscience must rise up and say enough is enough.
The foot soldiers of this war are the APC data boys who swarm social media like locusts, having made it their newfound faith to denigrate, insult and demean respected religious leaders and institutions. Over ninety percent of these poor, destitute and poorly educated souls are victims of the very system they are paid to defend at all costs. They have somehow convinced themselves that the people trying to change a broken system are their enemies, not realising that they are fighting against their own liberation. They are cannon fodder in a war against decency, paid pennies to insult men of God while their masters laugh all the way to the bank. It is a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, except that there is nothing poetic about watching desperate young Nigerians being deployed as weapons of mass distraction.
The recent attacks on the Catholic Church are beyond disgraceful. When the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria met with President Bola Tinubu on July 28, 2026, they did exactly what moral shepherds are supposed to do. They told him the truth. They told him that Nigeria is bleeding. They told him that the economy is not helping poor citizens, that insecurity is ravaging communities, and that the democratic process is under threat. And what was the response from the President? He rejected their assessment. He told them the country is not bleeding and that the economy is doing fine. But the data tells a different story, a story the APC does not want Nigerians to hear.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that 63 percent of Nigerians now live below the national poverty line. Approximately 27 million people face acute food insecurity. The World Bank confirms that poverty rose from 56 percent in 2023 to 61 percent in 2024, peaking at 63 percent in 2025. Inflation averaged 16 percent in 2026, eroding real incomes across both urban and rural households. A United Nations report projected that 30 million Nigerians would move into poverty in 2026 alone, bringing the total number of poor Nigerians to almost 140 million. These are not opinions. These are facts. These are the bleeding wounds of a nation gasping for air. And when the Catholic bishops presented these facts to the President, they were met not with reflection but with hostility and political attacks.
From the presidential spokespersons at the top to the ordinary data boys at the bottom, the APC has shown its true colours. Presidential aide Temitope Ajayi accused Cardinal John Onaiyekan of abusing ecclesiastical privilege and claimed the Cardinal was more political than spiritual. Another aide accused the Catholic Church of working for Peter Obi. The Presidency became so accustomed to inviting fake bishops that it assumed every cleric could be recruited into political propaganda. But as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar rightly stated, Catholic bishops are not political props, rented cheerleaders or praise singers. They are shepherds with a moral obligation to speak truth to power, and for that, they have been subjected to the most vile abuse imaginable.
The APC data boys have called Cardinal Onaiyekan unprintable names. They have shared AI-generated images of the bishop burning in hell. They have portrayed him as Satan with horns. They have accused him of collecting money from Peter Obi to attack the President. These are not political debates. This is satanic madness. This is the kind of behaviour one expects from a cult, not a ruling political party. And by staying silent, the APC leadership is not just condoning this madness. They are encouraging it. They are giving their foot soldiers a green light to continue their descent into the gutter.
But the attacks are not limited to the Catholic Church. A few days ago, popular Hausa praise singer Dauda Kahutu Rarara released a highly disturbing song targeting Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami, the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State. The song, titled Malam Yayi Rawa, accused Pantami of drug use, alleged corruption, and issued thinly veiled threats of referral to anti-corruption agencies. It then lavished praise on the APC governorship candidate Jamilu Gwamna. Former Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung expressed deep concern over the declining standard of political discourse, lamenting that political music, once a tool for education and civic mobilisation in the North, has degenerated into character assassination and public ridicule. He warned that traditional northern values of adabi, kunya and respect for human dignity are being eroded by this dangerous trend.
Rarara later claimed he was not referring to Pantami, but that makes it even worse. If he was not referring to Pantami, then he is denigrating every Malam in Nigeria. When did Malam become a subject of ridicule and insult? When did it become a tool for collective embarrassment? The APC has so poisoned the political atmosphere that even the most respected titles and positions are now fair game for their mercenaries. It is a disgrace of epic proportions, and the party that should be setting standards of decorum is instead leading the charge into the abyss.
Insult is gradually becoming the official policy of the APC. From the Presidency to the data boys, from praise singers to social media trolls, the message is clear: if you tell us the truth, we will destroy you. If you speak for the poor, we will call you names. If you are a man of God who refuses to be our praise singer, we will portray you as Satan. This is not governance. This is gangsterism. This is not democracy. This is dictatorship dressed in democratic robes. The APC has declared war on religious institutions, and it is a war they cannot win. The Catholic Church has survived empires and dictatorships. The Islamic scholars have survived centuries of persecution. They will survive the APC. But Nigeria may not.
A country that attacks its moral leaders is a country that has lost its moral compass. A government that cannot tolerate criticism is a government that is afraid of the truth. And a party that deploys its foot soldiers to insult men of God is a party that has abandoned God altogether. The APC owes the Catholic Church, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami and every religious leader they have insulted an immediate and unreserved apology. But more than that, they owe Nigerians a government that listens, a leadership that respects, and a party that remembers that power is temporary but God is eternal. Until then, they will continue to be exposed for what they truly are: a band of reckless, undisciplined and desperate people who have declared war on decency itself. And decency, unlike the APC, will always win. The question for Nigerians in 2027 is simple: will you stand with the bullies, or will you stand with the truth?
*Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via bellodoka82@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The article above is entirely the opinion of the author and not of The DEFENDER Newspaper.
