According to Leadership newspaper, fresh facts emerged yesterday on why the fiery Catholic priest and founder of the highly regarded Enugu-based Adoration Ministries, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, last week warned the electorate not to vote for the candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, in the forthcoming February 14, 2015 presidential election.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the Catholic priest was nudged by the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria to prophesy that the re-election of President Jonathan would spell disaster for the country.
A usually reliable source said that for some time now, the Catholic community has been nursing grudges against the president following insinuations that he has been parleying with the Anglican Church, while neglecting the Roman Catholic Church. President Jonathan is said to be an Anglican.
It was gathered that the leadership of the Catholic Church choose Fr Mbaka to make the statement given the fearless way he had spoken out against oppressive regimes in the past, which nearly cost him his life during the administration of former Enugu State Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, after assassins shot him at close range.
However, it was also gathered that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), had sent a powerful delegation to Enugu on December 31, 2014, to woo Fr Mbaka to support his presidential ambition.
A source close to the meeting said Fr Mbaka’s speech came few hours following the meeting with Buhari’s delegation.
LEADERSHIP recalls that when recently President Jonathan’s wife, Patience, worshipped at the Adoration Ministries ground located at Ijineke Emene in Enugu East local government area, Fr Mbaka urged Ndigbo to support the second term bid of her husband.
LEADERSHIP further gathered that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was rankled over Fr Mbaka’s advice to Ndigbo to vote for the PDP presidential candidate, hence he was allegedly ordered by the leadership of the Catholic community to warn the electorate that voting for the incumbent president would spell disaster for Nigeria.
Delivering a message entitled, “From Goodluck to Bad Luck” at the Adoration Ministries ground on New Year’s Eve, Mbaka said that when the first lady Dame Patience Jonathan visited the Adoration Ground recently, he had conducted a spiritual exercise by lifting four birds to fly, but the fourth and most healthy of the birds refused to fly.
Mbaka revealed that he did everything to make the fourth bird to fly but it refused to fly, and God ministered to him not to worry the bird any further. (Leadership)