Shock moments were said to have gripped top echelon of the All Progressive Congress, APC, especially the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as their bid to woo the Catholic Church through the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, His Grace, Most Rev Anthony J.V Obinna, met a brick wall, as the cleric ended up throwing more posers to the party.
Part of the Presidential campaign programme of the APC in Owerri last Monday was a courtesy call on the Archbishop after the rally at Dan Anyiam stadium, Owerri to seek support.
Trumpeta was informed that considering the enormous influence of Archbishop Obinna as an opinion moulder and one of the leaders of thought, getting the support of the maverick Cleric was part of APC agenda in the South East, hence the resolve to visit him at the Assumpta Cathedral.
Things however turned awry when in his reaction, instead of dancing to the tunes of APC, Okorocha rather threw up more challenges at Buhari and his top flight APC members which included Okorocha, former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Dr Christ Ngige, Senator and former Governor of Anambra state as well as Buhari’s campaign Director General and Rivers state governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
After Buhari’s opening speech which centered on 2015 election, Archbishop Obinna in response took exceptions to reasons why the APC presidential as military head of state took over power in 1984 from civilian government. Relying on his doctorate degree thesis, the Catholic held in Owerri Archdiocese said according to a report by the Leader Newspapers, a weekly tabloid of the church in the state.
“On December 31st 1983, a moral crisis in Nigeria gave way to a military coup d’ etal. In his broadcast to the on the reasons for the coup, which toppled the civilian government presided over by Shagari, the new military leader of the nation, Muhammadu Buhari said that the army seized power in order to put and end to the serious economic predicament and the crises of confidence now affecting our nation. Corruption had attended unprecedented heights under Shagari said Buhari dismissing as rigged the August election that Shagari a second four-yr term. There is ample evidence that rigging and thuggery were relative to the resources available to each of the country’s now banned six political parties. Buhari added that his government will not tolerate kick backs, manipulated contracts or over invoicing nor will it condone forgery, fraud and embezzlement”.
The Leader story said Archbishop went further to ask before Buhari and APC chieftains “have we moved forward or backwards from this point”. Archbishop Obinna went further to tell Buhari “I ask your Excellency, can we live together as one people, one nation in Nigeria? Can we with the multiciphely of our conflicts stick together as one country.
Archbishop Obinna said to Buhari: “Well before I knew you, your name has been on my doctorial dissertation, published in 1984, And we are yet trying to forge a nation, one people one mind” He asked “Do we have one God or many Gods….?
Archbishop Obinna who spoke on wide range of issues further enjoined Buhari to address the issue of religion before giving chance to the APC team members like Tinubu who prayed Nigerians to deemphasize issue of religion in politics.
Okorocha however thanked the Archbishop for warm welcome and further informed the cleric that Buhari is the change Nigeria needs to turn around fortunes of the country. “If Buhari has not converted to Islam his cook and driver who are Christians, how can he Islamise the whole country”, The Imo governor added.
