Oshiomhole accuses Benin Catholic archdiocese of partisanship over nursing school dispute

Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District in the National Assembly (NASS) and former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday accused the leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Edo State, of still nursing hard feelings over the defeat of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

Recall that the Director of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Rev. Fr. Jude Orah, had described as falsehood the claims by Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, over the ownership and funding of the College of Nursing Sciences, located within the premises of St. Philomena Catholic Hospital, Benin City.

In a statement in Abuja by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Oshioke, Senator Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said that the response of the Church to his recent interview on Arise TV, as regards the status of St. Philomena College of Nursing, Benin, by its Director of Social Communication and Printing Press, smacked of bellyache and was clearly coloured by the ethnic background of the leadership, which continues to support its kinsman, Mr. Obi.

He said that the tone and content of a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight: St. Philomena College of Nursing is not Government Owned”, by Rev. Orah, which aimed to clarify ownership of its institutions, “is a sad commentary on the deepening culture of bias, judgment, and partisanship, even within the spiritual space that ought to be above such tendencies and from men who otherwise are revered as holy, divinely inspired and discerning.”

Senator Oshiomhole emphasized that at no point during the July 26, 2026 television interview did he make direct reference to the name St. Philomena Hospital College of Nursing.

The ex-national chairman of the APC said that in response to a question about the former Anambra State governor’s recent visit to a School of Nursing in Benin City, he took it for granted, based on his knowledge as a former governor, that the facility visited was the state-owned School of Nursing and Midwifery on Sapele Road, which is owned, managed, and fully funded by the Edo State Government.

He added: “That was a simple assumption, made without malice or intention to mislead. But rather than seek clarification or engage in good faith, the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City chose to interpret this honest mistake as deliberate misinformation.

“It is unfortunate that the Archdiocese chose to stretch a harmless human error into a narrative of intentional falsehood, seemingly to satisfy the leadership’s political and perhaps ethnic bias.”

Augustine Obiora Akubeze, who is the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, is from Ogbaru, Anambra State.

He continued: “Even more disturbing is the tone of moral superiority that accompanied the accusation. One would have expected a more tempered and reconciliatory approach, especially from the Church. Instead, what we see is a continuation of a pattern.

“With the tone and content of the press statement, it is obvious that some priests still exhibit remnant attitudes of the 2023 campaign era, when many of them turned the altar into partisan podiums, coercing congregants to support Peter Obi’s political ambition.”

The former Edo State governor noted that as a devout, practising Catholic who understands the sacredness of the pulpit and the responsibility that comes with spiritual leadership, he has always maintained deep respect for the Catholic Church, not just as a faith institution but as a moral compass in society.

Mr. Oshioke recalled that as governor of Edo State during a particularly turbulent period in the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, when accusations of ethnic bias in priest postings under the current Archbishop sparked protests, open revolts, and division, he stood by the Church to quell the crisis.

He disclosed: “His intervention helped to preserve unity within the Archdiocese at a time when ethnicity threatened to tear it apart. Today, it is both ironic and shameful that the same man who helped stabilize the Church in Edo State is now being targeted by it.

“It is even more shameful that while the Archdiocese celebrates the political visit of Peter Obi, it completely ignores and erases the enduring support Oshiomhole has given to the Church, both in public office and as a devoted member.”

The Chief of Staff reiterated: “Senator Oshiomhole will not engage in a war of words with the Church. But he will also not stand by while his name is falsely portrayed and his good faith actions twisted to suit partisan ends.

God sees the heart and knows the difference between a genuine error and a manufactured outrage. He also sees those who hide behind the cassock to push political agendas.”

Source: Guardian Nigeria | Continue to Full Story…