… says cleric’s utterances unbecoming, divisive
The Catholic Diocese of Enugu, on Thursday, disowned inflammatory political utterances by the Catholic Priest and founder of Adoration Ministry Enugu, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, against the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Mbaka had in media reports, on Wednesday, during a service in his church, described Obi as “a stingy man” and “a joker” who can never be elected Nigeria’s President.
Mbaka had reportedly said it would be better to have an old man as Nigeria’s president than a “stingy young man.”
The fiery cleric had claimed that he helped Obi to secure a second term as governor of Anambra State, “but he did not come to thank God.”
But reacting to Mbaka’s outbursts against Obi, the Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu, Rev Ernest Obodo, in a statement on Thursday, condemned and dissociated the Catholic Church from Mbaka’s comments.
The bishop described the Priest’s inflammatory political utterances as divisive, adding that they contravened the Canon 220 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which prohibits anyone from illegitimately harming the good name of another person.
Obodo said Mbaka’s views on the matter were entirely his own and not representative of the position of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.
The Bishop’s statement read, “The Catholic Diocese of Enugu hereby condemns and dissociates herself from such unbecoming and divisive utterances from Fr. Mbaka.
“In an effort to keep him united to the Body of Christ, we enjoin him to refrain from making further provocative prophecies or utterances capable of heating up the polity. We assure the people of God and the general public that the Catholic Diocese of Enugu is taking the due canonical process.
“Finally, we urge all the People of God to continue to pray for peaceful elections and to discharge their civic responsibilities by getting their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) and casting their votes in order to elect the right candidates.”