MBAKA, OBI DRAMA: Catholic Bishops issue notice to priests

Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has frowned at the apparent shameful display of one of its members, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka.

Mbaka had recently, on account that the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, refused to make an open donation at his Adoration Ministries in Enugu, said the PDP will lose the presidential election.

He had also told the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, who came after Obi had left that the disgrace he meted out to the former Anambra State governor was because of his support for Muhammadu Buhari.

Mbaka, then sent Ganduje to go and ask Buhari to come and execute a project at his adoration centre or forget winning the 2019 election.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ralph Madu, described the incident as shameful and warned its members against partisan politics.

According to him, any member involving himself in partisan politics is going against the Canon Law of the church.

Noting that what Mbaka did was not supported by CBCN, Madu said the stand of the Catholic Church on August 7, 2018, which states that priests must remain apolitical and not support or subscribe to any political party has not changed.

“Our concern is for a peaceful election process seen to be free, fair, credible and just. We are for a democratic governance that guarantees peace, justice, equity, development and religious freedom for the common good.

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“Mindful of the present charged political life of the country, with the ongoing campaign of political parties gathering momentum, we deem it necessary to again remind all priests and faithful to keep the position of the church on the issue of non – partisan politics.”

He added that while the Enugu Diocese is taking appropriate measures on the incident, “no Catholic priest or faithful should be involved in partisan politics in obedience to the Canon Law of the church.”

By Ebere Ndukwu….

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