He defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, insisting that the body had consistently maintained an independent and principled position on national issues across different administrations. He argued that religious leaders were speaking from firsthand experience of the hardship faced by Nigerians and should not be dismissed. He also contrasted what he described as Tinubu’s display of respect for the Catholic Church during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome with the response of his aides to criticism from Nigerian Catholic leaders. According to Obi, reducing criticisms by the Catholic bishops to a religious issue ignored the fact that insecurity, inflation, unemployment and poverty affect all Nigerians regardless of religion or ethnicity. Obi warned against surrounding political leaders with sycophants, saying governments perform better when they listen to honest feedback.