The Roman Catholic Church Tuesday gave the
All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship
candidate in Anambra State, Sen. Chris Ngige a
clean bill over allegations reported in the
social media that he attacked a Catholic priest
declaring the story to be fiction and the
handiwork of mischief makers.
In an interactive session with journalists at St.
Patrick Catholic Diocese premises in Awka, the
Chancellor, Rev. Dr. Chudi Peter Akaenyi
affirmed that neither the church nor any
priest granted an interview or gave such story
to anyone and described the controversy as
politically motivated to malign the Senator’s
image.
According to Rev, Akaenyi, ”On that fateful
day anybody knows that we had more than
1,000 people at the funeral ceremony for the
mother of Most Rev. Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafora,
the Catholic Bishop of Awka nd many people
came. So we had a VIP space where we
entertained dignitaries. I was inside the VIP
and did not know what was happening at the
gate”
“Sen. Ngige also came with his people and the
Priest Rev. Fr. Evaristus Ezeokwonu was at the
gate receiving the guests and he told Ngige that
we cannot take all his people which he
accepted. Infact the priest gave Ngige more
number of people and he went into the VIP
before the incident happened”
“Stories came to us that Ngige security aides
attacked the priest and we drew the attention
of Ngige who came out to ask what happened.
Ngige asked for the policemen and we
discovered that the police men were not those
that came with Ngige.
‘’Later the three police men who actually
pushed the gate came to apologize to the priest
and they shook hands and we said ok. Nobody
slapped the priest what people are saying is
absolutely wrong and I can assure you that no
priest would have been attacked. No priest or
the church spoke to anybody.
“We know that during the political era people
would want to do one thing or the other in
order to achieve one or two aims. But we in
the church, we do not get involved in politics
we do not play politics. The allegation is
absolutely false”.
In his reaction to the allegation Ngige said “It
was politically motivated. I am a knight of St.
John of the Catholic Church and as a knight we
are soldiers of our Lord Jesus Christ and we
are there to protect the church and the priest.
That is the more reason why I must protect
the priest as knight and the people who
represent Christ on earth are Rev. Fathers by
our Catholic doctrine.
‘’The Bishop is a Rev. Fr. before he became a
bishop and the same with the cardinal and
even the pope was once a Rev. Fr. and he
personify Christ on earth. The person who is
saying that I slapped a Rev. Father is
hallucinating. I can’t even conceive it. I come
from a very strong Catholic family and my
background is totally Catholic”
“I wouldn’t even do that on a clergy man of
Anglican communion or the Pentecostal church
or Methodist because the doctrines are the
same.
‘’These are anointed people and that is why my
respect for them are undiluted at all. This
season is season of politics and the people in
APGA planted the story. They are clutching at
every straw that they can find as drowning
people. They are drowning, their ship is
sinking and so they have gone into
mudslinging. They are now throwing mud but
if it is a joke I think this is an expensive joke.
If it is mischief I think it is mischief carried
too far and they have crossed the red line and
I have a name to protect
“I have my integrity to protect and those who
know me well know that I am somebody who
cannot dream of a thing like that. So my legal
team is looking at this situation and
appropriate action will be taken in due cause”
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