PETER Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has responded to the blistering comments made about him by an outspoken Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka.
Mbaka, at his weekly ministration service on Wednesday, declared that Obi will not be president of Nigeria in 2023 because he is a “stingy man who does not hand out money to people.”
He said Obi’s aspiration to become President of Nigeria would be futile unless he returned to his ministry to apologise for refusing to make a donation when he was asked to do so.
Many Nigerians chastised the controversial clergy for his remark, including the Catholic Diocese of Enugu.
Later, the preacher apologised to the former governor of Anambra State and his followers, claiming that his intention was not to discredit the LP presidential contender.
Callistus Onaga, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, forbade Catholics from attending activities at the cleric’s ministry on Friday.
But, Obi stated on Sunday, while appearing as a guest on Voice of the People FM in Lagos, that he has no “problem” with the preacher.
Despite his reaction, he stated that he still loves, respects and prays for Father Mbaka.
“For me, Father Mbaka is an ordained priest of God. And as a priest, he remains my priest. And I will always respect and show my allegiance to the (Catholic) church.
“Whatever he says, I will take it because he is my father in faith. And I respect him any day. And he is my brother. We are close.
“Whenever he (Mr Mbaka) says something wrong, I pray over it. If he says something right, I pray over it. So, mine are prayers. Whatever he does, I love him.
“This is me because he is a priest of God. I don’t have any problem with him. Whatever he says, I will put it in prayers,” Obi stated.
