Speaking to Thisday in an exclusive interview, Cardinal Onaiyekan
also cautioned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the
opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) , advising both political
parties to desist from campaigns of calumny.
Popular Catholic priest and Founder of Adoration Ministry, Enugu Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka, recently criticised President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration urging Nigerians to reject him in next year’s presidential polls and vote for the APC’s candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd ).
Onaiyekan said despite the prophecies of doom ahead of the 2015 elections , “PDP and APC have no right to disorganise Nigeria.”
He criticised Fr Mbaka, saying the priest went overboard in his statement insinuating that President Jonathan’s administration has been plagued with ‘bad luck’ and poor performance.
The Kogi-born Cardinal distanced the Catholic Church from Mbaka’s statement, stating that, “Mbaka will take responsibilities for his own actions. I do not believe in my mind that the way things are in Nigeria, any Catholic priest has the mandate to decide which of the political contestants should be voted for. What most of us will do is to tell people to vote according to their conscience and then, we tell the authorities to allow people to vote freely and fairly.
Popular Catholic priest and Founder of Adoration Ministry, Enugu Catholic Archdiocese, Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka, recently criticised President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration urging Nigerians to reject him in next year’s presidential polls and vote for the APC’s candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd ).
Onaiyekan said despite the prophecies of doom ahead of the 2015 elections , “PDP and APC have no right to disorganise Nigeria.”
He criticised Fr Mbaka, saying the priest went overboard in his statement insinuating that President Jonathan’s administration has been plagued with ‘bad luck’ and poor performance.
The Kogi-born Cardinal distanced the Catholic Church from Mbaka’s statement, stating that, “Mbaka will take responsibilities for his own actions. I do not believe in my mind that the way things are in Nigeria, any Catholic priest has the mandate to decide which of the political contestants should be voted for. What most of us will do is to tell people to vote according to their conscience and then, we tell the authorities to allow people to vote freely and fairly.
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