Fides Media Living the Faith
By Pat Amobi Chukwuma
At the dawn of the New Year 2020, a popular pastor in the Lord’s vineyard prophesied that a certain woman will suddenly slap her husband and send him packing out of their matrimonial home with immediate effect. The hearers of the New Year prophecy dismissed the pastor as a dreamer. Some were eager to know the woman in question and where she gets such power to slap the head of the family and at the same time expel him from his ancestral home. Some believed that such cannot happen in this country Nigeria.
Surprisingly, seven days later, the prophecy came to fruition. A woman popularly known as Mrs. Fearless, woke up one early morning and did the unexpected. As her unsuspecting husband was about to kneel down beside their matrimonial bed for the routine prayer on the fateful day, the fearless wife suddenly gave him two dirty slaps on both cheeks. Seven stars with tears came out of his eyes. She did not stop at that. She ordered him to pack out of the house immediately. Before the innocent husband could open his mouth to ask why, some dare-devil thugs appeared from nowhere. They manhandled the head of the family, took him away like a rag and dumped him in a thick forest. They ordered him never to come back to the house or else he would consider himself dead. When he regained his strength after about two hours of agony in the lonely forest, the innocent husband left for an unknown destination. He told himself that God is his consolation and avenger.
A similar prophecy was made in the hilly city of Enugu on New Year 2020 by father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry. He prophesied that Senator Hope Uzodimma of All Progressives Congress (APC) would become the governor of Imo State. This means that the incumbent governor Emeka Ihedioha of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would step down. The spokesman of the governor dismissed the prophecy as a mere dream and labeled Fr. Ejike Mbaka as a false prophet. Many were asking, “How can the impossible happen?” The original March 2019 Imo gubernatorial election result read as follows: Emeka Ihedioha (PDP) 273,404; Uche Nwosu (AA) 190,364; Ifeanyi Ararume (APGA) 114,676; Hope Uzodimma (APC) 96,458; Ikedi Ohakim (YPP) 527. Judging from the above result, the Independent National Election Commission declared Emeka Ihedioha PDP as the validly elected governor of Imo state. He was consequently sworn into office on 29 May 2019. At his ascension to power, the political atmosphere in Imo state changed for better, having gone through political turbulence in the eight-year tenure of the former Governor Rochas Okorocha of APC. The Election Tribunal and the Appeal Court confirmed the election of Ihedioha.
Suddenly, on Tuesday 14 January 2020, the impossible happened in Imo state. The Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja sacked Governor Emeka Ihedioha from office with immediate effect and declared Senator Hope Uzodimma the Governor of Imo state. According to Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun who read the judgment, results from 388 polling units were unlawfully excluded during the collation of the final governorship election in Imo state. Therefore with those results added, Uzodimma polled a majority of the lawful votes and ought to have been declared winner of the election by INEC. Thus, the Apex court ordered that the Certificate of Return issued to Ihedioha to be withdrawn and a new one be given to Hope Uzodimma. She also ordered that the latter should be sworn in with immediate effect as the governor of Imo state.
Kudos and knocks followed the Supreme Court judgment and father Mbaka’s prophecy. Many questions arose. Was Fr. Mbaka’s prophecy divinely, politically or financially inspired? Why is he fond of making partisan prophecy? Priests of the Catholic Church as prophets can talk about politics but they are forbidden to play partisan politics. They can criticize and condemn evil in governance or evil in the society as Prophet Elijah did in the Old Testament. Catholic priests are not allowed to belong to any political party. They encourage the electorate to vote for the best candidates in any party with good manifestoes. They are not to campaign for any candidate or for a particular party. That is the role of the laity. Priests are allowed to vote for the candidates of their choice as citizens of Nigeria, especially in secret ballot. Any priest who plays partisan politics is sanctioned by the Church authority. When the late father Moses Adasu contested the governorship of Benue state against the rule of the Catholic Church, he was immediately sanctioned.
The Church Authority should analyze Fr. Ejike Camillus Mbaka’s prophecy of the governorship seat of Imo state and the similar ones he made in the past to ascertain if they were inspired by God. If they were not from God, he should be sanctioned to avoid embarrassing the Catholic Church and for playing partisan politics. No one is above state or ecclesiastical Laws. An Igbo proverb says that an elder cannot stay at home and watch a she-goat give birth tethered on a rope. Many people believe that Fr Mbaka was secretly briefed by the powers-that-be about the impending sacking of Ihedioha and declaration of Uzodimma before he prophesied. This prophecy would make the sacking and declaration an act of God.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. She has given the final verdict. The Imolites should accept it, whether right or wrong. However, God has the final say. May His will be done in Imo state and in Nigeria as a whole. It seems the Judiciary has been compromised. We are in trouble. We do not want any civil war again. That’s why eminent Nigerians gathered at the 50 years anniversary of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war and with one voice said, “Never again!” War does no one any good. The warlord on the Nigerian side, General Yakubu Gowon, regrets the pogrom and 3-year carnage which sent millions of Biafrans and Nigerians into their untimely graves. He calls for restructuring of the country in order to avoid another civil war. The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari should hearken to this elderly statesman’s advice. Let us restructure Nigeria now for peace and progress to reign.
Life is a primary value. The security of lives and property of citizens is the primary role of any government. The state governors are the chief security officers in their states while the president is the chief security officer of the whole nation and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Therefore, the president and governors should join hands to secure the states and country. Security of lives and properties is the primary asset of the citizenry. I give kudos to the incumbent governor of Anambra state, Chief Dr. Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, for making Anambra state the safest state in Nigeria. The president and other governors should copy from him so that Nigerians can sleep with two eyes closed.
For some years now, insecurity has become the greatest challenge in our country Nigeria. The Boko Haram terrorists, Fulani Herdsmen terrorists, kidnappers and bandits have been causing a lot of bloody havoc all over the country. The Army and the Police have been trying their best. But the end is not in sight. Many innocents Nigerians going about their normal businesses are kidnapped or killed on daily basis. The western part of the country seems to be most hit. Hence, the governors of the South-west states joined hands to set up Operation Amotekun to defend the people in their areas against the evil forces. Amotekun means leopard. In other words, it is Operation Leopard. The leopard will fight and protect the people against wild animals in human skin devastating the lives of people in Yoruba land.
It is surprising that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in the name of the Federal Government came out and declared Operation Amotekun illegal. What makes it illegal? Is it not like the normal vigilante groups here and there? Everyone has the right of self-defense when unjustly attacked. Should the south-west governors fold their hands and watch their people being slaughtered by the terrorists, kidnappers and bandits in the forests? Amotekun should assist the police in securing the lives and property of the people.
Unfortunately, the Miyetti Allah spokesman asserted that if the Yoruba people do not disband the Operation Amotekun, they should forget about taking over the presidency in 2023. Does power belong to Miyetti Allah? As far as I know, all powers belong to God. Why play politics with lives of the citizens? What happens if the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers kill all Nigerians before 2023? There is green snake in the green grass. Therefore we must walk with caution. God, save Nigeria!