ECWA urges FG to address bishop’s concerns
By John Shiklam
The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has rebutted allegation that he called for a coup against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in his Christmas homily.
Kukah, who has come under fire from the federal government and its supporters, said his homily was his personal view “based on evidence.”
However, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), which backed the bishop, has asked the federal government to address concerns raised by him rather than intimidating and sponsoring attacks on Kukah.
Kukah, in his Christmas message, titled: ‘A nation in search of vindication,’ delivered last Friday, had accused Buhari of sacrificing the dreams of Nigerians to institutionalise northern hegemony.
By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Udora Orizu in Abuja
The controversy generated by the Christmas message of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, in which he criticised President Muhammadu Buhari, generated more reactions yesterday as groups and a presidential aide weighed in.
While the president’s Special Assistant, Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) knocked Kukah, the Catholic Church in Nigeria, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) defended him.
Kukah, in the Christmas message last Friday, had accused the president of turning nepotism into a state policy.
Nigeria: Scrapping Constitution - Group Distances Southern, Middle Belt Leaders allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The leaders, numbering 127, who spoke under the platform of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination, described the Nigerian 1999 constitution as a fraud.
Among the names listed as promoters of the alliance were former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, Second Republic Member of the Senate, Professor Banji Akintoye, a former minister, Prof. Yusuf Turaki, a former Vice-Chairman of Arik Air, Senator Aniete Okon, President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, retired Commodores Ebitu Ukiwe, and Idongesit Nkanga, and the leader of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu and 121 others.
But on Wednesday, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) accused the group of smuggling the names of some of their leaders without their consent.