Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry in Enugu State, has landed himself into trouble over his recent political statement attacking presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi.
Mbaka though being from the same region as Obi, said he does not believe the former Anambra State whom he tagged a 'stingy man' is the right man for the job come 2023.
In his outburst against Obi, Mbaka said only a mad person would want Obi as President.
“A stingy man, that cannot give people his money, with this hunger ravaging the land, and you are saying he is the one you want. You want to die of hunger? Are you people insane?" he said.
He also hints at his preference for Atiku over Obi, saying “A good old man (Atiku) is better than a young wicked man; Peter Obi is going nowhere as far as God lives."
The clergy man's uncontrolled outburst unsurprisingly didn't go unnoticed, as he was later forced to apologize to the former governor. But it appears his apology wasn't enough as the Catholic Church went further to ban members from worshipping at the Adoration Ministry.
The ban was made by the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga, in a letter he personally signed and addressed to ‘All the Clery, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu’.
He said in the letter that, “in the light of the happenings in the Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy Enugu, capable of undermining the Catholic faith and teachings and after several fraternal corrections and admonitions to Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, the Chaplain of the Ministry and after having given him pastoral directives and guidelines for the Ministry Chaplaincy, which he persistently violated and in fulfilment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd with the obligation to promote and safeguard the Catholic faith and morals in Enugu Diocese, I hereby prohibit all Catholics (clergy, religious and lay faithful) henceforth from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the Catholic Adoration Ministry until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is concluded.
“My decision is based on the fact that some of the teachings and utterances of Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka at the Catholic Adoration Ministry are not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church.”
Bishop Onaga enjoined “all Christian faithful to keep praying for Fr. Mbaka.”