Since coming to power in May 2015, one major noticeable feature about the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is that it is averse to criticism. The presidency, alongside the party with which it rode to power, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) waste no time in attacking anyone who dares find fault in President Buhari’s handling of the myriads of challenges confronting the country, especially on its cardinal responsibility, security of lives and property.

When in 2019, pan- Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere was accused of not seeing anything good in the Buhari administration because its anointed candidate, Atiku Abubakar who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost, Yinka Odumakin, the organisation’s spokesperson who passed on last month refuted the claim, saying it had always commended the Buhari government in areas it performed well. He however said Afenifere is not filled with sycophants who will see bad things and label it as good.


“When they (Buhari administration) do good things, we say it. When this government decided to honour June 12, didn’t we commend it? We did. We are not mad people who will see good things and say it’s bad but we are also not sycophants who will see bad things and say it’s good,” Odumakin said.

Mbaka while addressing his congregation had stated that it was sad how Buhari could maintain grave silence in the midst of the killings and deaths in the country, insisting that he may have lost touch with realities. He said that no civilised leader would remain in power with the spate of violence and ugly deaths that have bedeviled the nation.

“How can people be dying, the chief security officer of the country will be sitting down without making any comment. Gunmen attacking people everywhere. Buhari should have resigned honorably following his failure as a leader. Let me tell you if it is in a civilized country, by now, President Buhari will resign with what is happening. So it is amazing that he has chosen to sit tight while people are dying anyhow.”

Mbaka called on the National Assembly to swing into action and remove the president, should he fail to resign, saying that Nigerians are faced with great difficulty created by poverty and insecurity.

“Nigerians are crying because there’s no security in the country. The National Assembly should impeach the president if he doesn’t want to resign,” Mbaka said.

In a swift response, APC’s Deputy National publicity secretary, Yekini Nabena argued that Mbaka’s call constitutes a threat to democratic rule in the country, adding that it was unfortunate that the clergyman who is expected to deploy all known spiritual means of ensuring peaceful coexistence among Nigerians went out of his ways to make such pronouncement in pursuit of his selfish desires.

While making reference to the book of Mark 4: 35-40 where Jesus Christ calm the storm when a wild storm came up and the waves crashed over the boat, Nabena said Jesus did not blame anyone but prayed and calm the storm.

The APC spokesman who said Mbaka’s utterances were capable of breaching the peace in the country, threatened to drag him to the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope if he (Mbaka) does not repent from his alleged divisive role in the country.

He said: “One will wonder whom Father Mbaka is emulating because the Lord Jesus Christ did not threaten to bring down the government during his own time, in fact, Jesus Christ obeyed and honoured constituted authority. That’s why he paid his tax.

“We are calling on Father Mbaka to concentrate on his spiritual calling and stop speaking like politicians who it is obvious he (Mbaka) has been dining and wining with. If Mbaka has found another political ally, it is better to leave political message for politicians.

“Calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to either resign or be impeached because of the current challenges is ungodly. Father Mbaka should not, however, take his luck too far because there are lot to tell the Vatican and the Pope about his person and his sources of inspiration.”

Working in concert with APC, the Presidency in a statement by Garba Shehu alleged that Mbaka, who supported President Muhammadu Buhari but has now turned against him, is angry because his request for contracts was ignored.

“Here is the point of departure: 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, 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 Mbaka.”

Reacting to the presidency’s response, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, a chieftain PDP and former Delta State Governorship aspirant, has faulted Garba Shehu’s statement, saying it is not a crime for the priest to demand for contract or help from President Muhammadu Buhari.

“What the hell is wrong in asking for contract or compensation from President Buhari if he did? Was Garba Shehu himself not compensated with the position of a spokesman for the President as a payback for his garrulous disposition during the campaign?

“It is not a crime to ask the president of your country for contracts. Other Buhari supporters were given gifts, appointments, contracts and even oil block, so why was that of Mbaka must be different after defending Buhari before and after the elections,” he queried.

Onuesoke who argued that this obvious blackmail by Shehu Garba will not change the fact that Nigeria is rudderless, recalled that majority of Nigerians who supported Buhari during 2015 election like Mbaka have been living in regrets because they discovered that the Presidency had derailed.

He maintained that Shehu Garba’s response to Mbaka’s attack on the President is the kind of statement one will expect from a woman jilted by her fiancée not a presidential spokesman, stressing that it is unfortunate that the Presidential Spokesman did not even make any attempt to debunk the most salient claims made by the spiritual leader.

“Instead of Shehu Garba to defend the reasons why Mbaka is asking the President to resign as a Presidential Spokesman, he resorted to insulting the person of the Man Of God as if demanding for contract is a crime. There is no former supporter of Buhari that has not parted ways with him except those with appointments. If Mbaka was the only one to part ways this childish claim from Shehu Garba would have had some traction,” he noted.

Onuesoke argued that if Shehu Garba is truthful with his allegation, he should release the video or picture of Mbaka visiting Buhari with contractors demanding for contracts rather than his infantile high horse posturing which is aimed at blackmailing the Clergy.

“It should be tit for tat and because Fr. Mbaka has openly requested Buhari to resign or be impeached, Shehu Garba should in equal measure compel the Presidency and APC to release whatever they claim has motivated the Priest to call for Buhari’s head,” he demanded.

In his response, Richard Akinnola, a lawyer and activist said the statement from the presidency is too condescending.

His words “I know a couple of people who benefitted patronages when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was Governor of Lagos and who later turned to criticising him but you would never hear him talk about what he did for them. That’s maturity”.

“Garba Shehu served as media spokesperson and a very close aide of (Abubakar) Atiku for years. He had criticized the PDP which his former boss belongs and contested but to the best of my knowledge, Atiku’s media team had never come out to attack Garba or tell the world what he benefited when he was a close aide of Atiku. That is maturity”.

“That Mbaka press statement was beneath Garba. The government can divorce Mbaka on mutual grounds, without descending this low. He asked for contract. So? Abeg leave story. I have never respected Mbaka. I see him as a priestly charlatan but to descend that low with him, e get as e be”.

Also reacting, Olaleye Olawale, a journalist and public affairs commentator said “As petty, senseless and shameless as Garba Shehu sounded in his typically inane statement, dissing Father Ejike Mbaka, the man of God may not get sympathy from a larger chunk of the populace. It could as well be his reward for always pleasing man under the guise of “God says”.
https://independent.ng/insecurity-how-buharis-romance-with-mbaka-turned-sour/

I pity Garbage Shehu. Even Femi and Lai have kept quiet

Is that so

If the alleged contract bidding by Fr Mbaka were actually true, then the man has lost his integrity completely.

Giving him man of God treatment will be an insult to the sacred ministry.

Politics and religion should be clearly separated.

he said the contract is for fighting insecurity

Ademola47:
If the alleged contract bidding by Fr Mbaka were actually true, then the man has lost his integrity completely.

Giving him man of God treatment will be an insult to the sacred ministry.

Politics and religion should be clearly separated.