Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, spiritual director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu Nigeria, (AMEN), recently made headlines when he visited the presidency with three contractors and left in his trail a controversy surrounding his visit with Muhammed Buhari, especially after admitting he actually went to the presidency with the said contractors but not for his personal gain.
It will be recalled that in 2015 Mbaka openly supported Buhari’s campaign and said God told him Buhari was God’s choice for Nigeria and still endorsed the president for a second term.
But in a recent development the Catholic priest retracted his statement and asked the National Assembly to impeach the President if he fails to resign.
“I know people will say, Mbaka did you not pray for Buhari, did Samuel not anoint Saul? What are you talking about? Am I the creator of Buhari? God created him, Nigerians trusted him because he has done well sometimes ago but now how can people just be dying?” Mbaka had said.
“God will ask Nigerians: Nigerians why are you crying? We are crying because our leaders have failed us woefully. If it is in a civilized country, by now, President Buhari will resign. Quote me anywhere and let the whole world hear it. By now, with what is happening, President Buhari should honourably resign.
“We are crying because we don’t have a shepherd. All those that will fight what I’m saying now will eventually suffer the rot. If you can’t do it, either you resign or you be changed. A good coach cannot watch his team defeated when he has players sitting watch on the bench. Either Buhari resigns by himself or he will be impeached.”
Reacting in a statement on Friday, Garba Shehu, Presidential spokesman said, “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 concluded.
Father Mbaka in his own defence, claimed he did not know the contractors before meeting them and that he only did after they told him they could help solve Nigeria’s security problems, The Punch reported on Monday.
“Yes, I led three security experts to the Presidency who offered to help salvage the security situation in Nigeria,” Mbaka said.
“I don’t know them, but they came to Enugu and pleaded for me to link them to government because of the level of insecurity and how Nigeria has been moving oil outside the country. These are the three people they rejected their offer.”
Mbaka stated this while reacting to the Presidency’s allegation that he called for the resignation of the president because he was not given contracts.
The reverend, who supported Buhari during the 2015 and 2019 elections, had on Wednesday during his midweek ministration called for Buhari to resign over the rising insecurity in the country.
Mbaka 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 reality and the country would be far better without Buhari at the helm of affairs.