Anambra guber: Group reports Ngige to Pope
•It’s frivolous –Campaign organisation
By Chidi Obineche
Thurday, February 04, 2010

•Ngige
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Hours to the Anambra State gubernatorial election, a group that goes by the name, Human Rights Guard, has petitioned the Pope against the past actions of Dr. Chris Ngige adducing reasons while the church should not support him.

In a letter addressed to Pope Benedict XVI, through the Papal Embassy in Abuja and signed by Dr. Michael Nwokedi, which was copied to the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Valarian Okeke; the Catholic Bishop of Awka, Most Rev. Simon Okafor; the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi, Most Rev. Hilary Odili Okeke; the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Awka; Most Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor and the Emeritus Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev. Albert Obiefuna, the group raised two moral issues against Ngige.

Their letter reads: “We write to thank you for the leadership you are offering to the world in morals and religious issues. We write you with the greatest sense of responsibility and in the belief that you are the last resort on the issue under reference - the legalization of abortion in Anambra State and the bad moral example- swearing in a shrine- that some of those who are threatening to lead us are guilty of.

“We want to respectfully introduce Anambra State to your Holiness before we go into the issue in contention. Anambra State is one among the 36 states in Nigeria. It is the home state of Francis Cardinal Arinze. The state has three Dioceses of the Catholic Church: Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi. It has the highest concentration of Christians and Catholics in the country.

“In 2003, the election to choose who would govern the state was rigged in favour of Dr. Chris Ngige. Through perseverance, the actual winner of that election, Mr. Peter Obi, was returned by the courts of the land. When Dr. Chris Ngige illegally and immorally occupied the seat, he committed a lot of atrocities that were unbecoming of a true Christian. Besides visiting shrines, he caused to be passed by the state House of Assembly, into law, the Bill legalizing abortion in the state known as Reproductive Rights Law.

“It is regrettable, your holiness, to note that while he was doing all these, he was compensated by the church by being made a Knight of the Catholic Church. We believe sincerely that the church, as well as the civil society should work hand in hand to promote the values they share together, such as the respect for human rights and the preservation of the sanctity of life by guarding against any act that will promote acts geared towards taking of lives whether at foetal stage.

“Your holiness, from the little that we know about the church’s stand, we are convinced we share the same views with her, which is rooted in the Bible and the teachings of the fathers.
“We are aware that the Catholic Church has long opposed all forms of artificial birth control and abortion. Moral and philosophical grounds of the opposition can be traced back to the fathers and doctors of the church - St. Jerome, John Chrysostom, Epiphnius of Salamis, Augustine, Lactantus, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria etc, who condemned any and all means of frustrating the natural ‘end” of the procreative act.

“In modern times, the Catholic Church’s hostility has been made explicit in a series of Papal encyclicals, including Casti Cannubi (on chaste marriage); of Pope Pius XII; Humanae Vitae (on human life); of Pope Paul VI; Evangelium Vitae ( the gospel of life); of Pope John Paul II. The Catholic case against abortion cannot be expressed better than in the words of Pope Pius XII: “The unborn child is a human being in the same degree and by the same title as its mother.

Moreover, every human being, even the child in its mother’s womb, receives its right to life directly from God, not from its parents, nor from any human society or authority. Innocent human life, in whatever condition it is found, is immuned from the very moment of its existence, to any direct deliberate attack. The life of an innocent human being is inviolable, and any direct assault or aggression on it violates one of those fundamental laws without which it is impossible for human beings to live safely in society.”

Having taken the foregoing into consideration, the group said it is condemnable that Dr. Chris Ngige, a Catholic Knight, who legalized abortion in his state was courted by some officials of the church.
“Why can’t our clergy take a clue from what happened in America, how Archbishop Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver and Bishop Joseph F. Martino, of the Diocese of Scranton, among others refused Mr. Joe Biden, the vice president of America Communion because of his stand on abortion.

“We believe that the church should be more vocal in the promotion of Christian virtues by dealing decisively with her members that refuse to abide by the teachings of the church, especially while in public service.
“The man under reference was reported to have also visited one shrine in our state called Ogwugwu Akpu where he swore, thus telling us that he was not a Christian in the right meaning of the word.

“We appeal to his holiness to direct Dr Ngige’s local church leaders, Archbishop Valerian Maduka Okeke of the Archdiocese of Onitsha; the Bishop of the capital city of Awka, Bishop Simon Okafor and his Auxiliary, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor to furnish your holiness with the true state of the report we are humbly bringing before your holy seat.

“We believe that the strong stand of the church in matters like this will discourage others from taking a similar line of action.” The Ngige Campaign Organisation, however, dismissed the petition as “frivolous and mere politics.” The Assistant Director of Communications, Mr. Tony Icheku, who spoke to Daily Sun on telephone explained that the said ‘Reproductive Rights Law’ was never passed by Ngige during his tenure as governor, and challenged the authors to produce evidence to prove their case.

According to him, Abortion Laws are in the exclusive list in the Nigerian Constitution, which makes it impossible for a state House of Assembly to handle. “A state House of Assembly cannot handle it. It is not in the residual list in the constitution for state legislatures to handle. Since abortion and the right to life are in the exclusive list, it is for the National Assembly to handle.

The petition is frivolous and mere politics,” he said.
On the allegation that Ngige swore to an oath in a shrine in Okija, Ngige said there was no record that he participated in any oath administration, admitting, however, that he visited the shrine.
“He visited Okija quite alright, but no swearing occurred because Chris Uba, who took him there refused to swear.”



WHAT FOR? CATHOLICS HAVE COME AGAIN.

Ngigi is not a man, in NGIGI I saw a man full of evil, lier and so on.

so whatever the case may be he will not reach there, God almighty who push him back before b/c of his evil never fall asleep
sombody say Amen

Na wa ooooooooo, men of God in politics.

This is the Soludo group at work.
Having recognized Ngige as the main opposition to their principal's gubernatorial ambition, they have resorted to playing the religion card. Let's see how this is going to play out.
And then we must also ask the question: All the previous governors that the Bishops have supported, how have they fared?

What has the pope got to do with Anambra State election?Will his verdict in any way alter the fact the (s)election would be rigged?This goes a long way to show how naive whatever or whoever instigated that kinda move is.I wish he doesn't reply that is,if the letter or whatever ever gets to him WTF?

What manner of man would swear butt naked in a shrine? huh? lets call a spade a spade, the man is evil.

Wetin concern election and pope?

What wil5 church? Here is naija, ur vote does not count. Excuse me pass jare!

Its politics! But its good politics.
Anambrarians are intensely catholic and would hold strongly any word that comes from the vatican.
While I'm pretty sure the Vatican wouldn't be replying this one, this news would definitely get Anambrarians asking questions and get them to think twice about voting for a man who is an oath taker in the bloody Okija shrine as well as staunch supporter of baby execution(abortion).

This Anambra election, I must admit has had the most matured of all electoral campaigns that I've witnessed in Nigeria.

RichyBlacK:

Too many morons in Anambra politics!

Sorry!! I think your are the slowpoke.

metal-gong:

Sorry!! I think your are the slowpoke.

No vex, I think you're a zombified fool!

@Ritchy black
boy, you are simply a butt licker. I've read most of your posts with utmost disdain, most times when u sound like a looner.