Mbaka and Controversies: His face-off with Nnamani, Ohakim, Okorocha

Those who say Rev. Fr. Mbaka is con­troversial may not be exaggerating. The preacher is always at the centre of controversy, especially in matters involving government officials.

Between 1999 and 2007, Mbaka was popu­lar among residents and indigenes of Enugu State, with his adoration ministry. Nobody will forget in a hurry the battle he waged against then governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani.

At that time, it was as if Mbaka devoted his Adoration to Nnamani, as he spent time con­demning the then governor. It got to a point when his congregation prayed, facing Enugu Government, that Nnamani should die.

In 2011, Mbaka shifted his fire to then Imo State governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, whose reelection he campaigned against. At that time, he even composed a song against Ohakim, which was rendered at his crusades and at church gatherings.

The controversial preacher had asked his followers to vote against Ohakim for assault­ing Eustace Okorie, a reverend father.

Mbaka was to make a volte face last year, when he declared that Okorie confessed to him that Ohakim never assaulted him.

Last year, Mbaka had accused Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, for al­legedly issuing N50 million ‘dud’ cheque to Owerri Catholic Archdiocese.

Speaking at the Christ the King adoration ground, Enugu, which also had Ohakim and his supporters in attendance, Mbaka described Okorocha’s Rescue Mission as a disappoint­ment to God and humanity. He accused the governor of betraying the confidence and trust reposed in him by the Imo State electorate.

The priest regretted the propaganda that scuttled the re-election bid of Ohakim, which he blamed on selfishness and insensitivity the former governor’s aides whom he also ac­cused of jeopardising his investigation.

He stated: “It is regrettable that, at last, the truth has manifested though not at the right time. Ohakim didn’t beat any priest. It was an orchestrated falsehood and blackmail which, unfortunately, were aimed at scuttling his re-election bid.

“When we wanted to reach the governor so as to get his own version, those who worked with him made it impossible. We waited patiently for him but he never showed up. It was then we composed our music ‘Onye ahu kuru father Ihe, ogaghi achi anyi ozo’ meaning the person who beat our priest will not rule us again’, which made Catholics in the state to deny him their votes.

“However, it is good to tell the truth even if it is coming late. Let the truth be told today though not necessarily to prepare him for another governorship project but for the whole world to know that he never did anything like that. Even if Ohakim dies tomorrow, the world will now know that he didn’t beat any priest.

“I am saying this because after listening to Ohakim’s version and that of the priest involved in the controversy and discovered that the allegation was false, it then behooved on me, as a servant of God, to make my find­ings public and declare the former governor innocent.”

On the Okorocha government, Mbaka said: “After the blackmail and falsehood that Oha­kim assaulted a Catholic priest, the man who benefited from the whole thing is now dealing with the people as well as destroying the state. Even our Archbishop in Owerri is now crying.

“Could you imagine that our cathedral in Owerri is almost collapsing and what this man (Rochas) could do was to give the church a N50 million bounced cheque? As I am speak­ing now, Rochas is dealing with the people. In fact, that man is not a blessing to Ndi Imo and I wonder the kingdom where he came from.”

Replying Mbaka, the Imo State Govern­ment denied ever issuing a dud cheque of N50 million to the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri, Most Revd. Anthony Obinna, describing the allegation as a calculated attempt to blackmail Governor Okorocha and the government of the state.

In a statement, signed by Mr. Sam Onwue­meodo, Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Okorocha , the government dis­missed the priest’s allegation as spurious and an unholy blackmail against Okorocha and the government of the state.

The statement read in part: “Let us simply aver and solemnly too, that the claim is not only false, but spurious and curious in many respects. There is no iota of truth in the allega­tion. You can call it an ‘unholy blackmail’ taking into account the person behind it.”

“We challenge Mbaka to go beyond his claim and provide the proofs since cheques are not invisible objects. With this latest blackmail, Nigerians of goodwill would now begin to appreciate the orchestrated and politically mo­tivated lies being unleashed against Governor Okorocha’s government by those desperate to take over power from him in 2015.”

The government wondered what Mbaka wanted because he was neither a priest in Imo nor diocesan priest of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese.

The statement stated also: “It is important to also state that since the false claim on the N50 million dud cheque did not come from the Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, Anthony Obinna, or from any of the priests in the arch­diocese, it becomes reasonable for us to make do with our candid denial. But honestly it hurts and calls for a lot of concern when a priest, a well-known one for that matter, begins to feed innocent flocks with induced lies.

“It is also necessary to inform the gen­eral public that the action involving cheques between the Imo State Government and the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri was in 2012. And those issued the cheques have not com­plained since that 2012. And in 2014, Mbaka is the one talking about the cheques and when Governor Okorocha’s predecessor, Chief Ohakim, came on a thanksgiving ceremony. This could explain where Mbaka was coming from.”

The Director of Social Communications of the Owerri Catholic Archbishop, Fr. George Nwachukwu, on his part, said the archdiocese had not issued an official statement on the matter and that it was not the responsibility of Mbaka to speak on behalf of the archdiocese, as he was neither a spokesman of Archbishop Obinna nor a priest in the diocese.

“We love Mbaka for his gift of healing and we want him to continue with that but since the Owerri Archdiocese has not made an of­ficial statement on the alleged matter, it is not his responsibility to speak because he is not the official spokesman of the archbishop or the diocese. Again, he is not a priest in the diocese; so, it will not be wise for him to interfere,” Nwachukwu said.

Written by Doris Obinna