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”
