The Presidency has alleged that Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Fr Ejike Mbaka, turned against President Muhammadu Buhari because he refused to award him contracts for his support.
The Presidency made the allegation on Friday in reaction to the call by Mbaka for the president to resign or be impeached following the increasing level of insecurity in the country.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidency said Mbaka made the request when the president granted his request for a visit.
The Presidency said although the pictures of the occasion and the contract as evidence, it decided not to make it public in order not to make the followers of the religious leaders turn away from him (Mbaka).
The statement reads in full:
FATHER MBAKA IS EVERYTHING APART FROM WHAT HE CLAIMS TO BE
An outsider distilling the avalanche of verbiage, will be surprised that after supporting the President two times to win the Presidency, Father Mbaka has made a complete U-Turn, preposterously asking President Buhari to resign or be impeached.
Here is the point of departure: Father Mbaka asked for a meeting and to the shock of Presidential Aides, he came accompanied by three contractors. The President graciously allowed them in, and to everyone’s surprise, Father Mbaka asked for contracts as compensation for his support.
Anyone familiar with President Buhari knows that he doesn’t break the laid down rules in dealing with contracts or any other government business for that matter. He requested the appropriate authorities to deal with the matter in accordance with laid down rules.
Inside the Villa, discretion prevailed, that if those pictures and requests were made public, the followers will turn against the religious leader. None of it was released. Now, this is what is eating Father Mbaka.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
April 30, 2021
