It will be recalled that recently I authored an article where I stated clearly why and how personal hatred, malice, envy and jealousy against Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi propel some disgruntled persons from Nsukka Cultural Zone astray.
Many of these elements, who have failed woefully in leadership and were benefactors of Governor Ugwuanyi's personal magnanimity, kindness and giant strides in government don't even realise or know that they are running amok in their shameless and needless fight against Governor Ugwuanyi ahead of 2023.
Emotions, self-importance and sense of entitlements have beclouded their sense of reasoning and judgement. Even as Christians and Catholics, they have forgotten the Biblical teaching that the battle is for the Lord.
They have covertly sponsored and written so many malicious and fictious articles of calumny against the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, including the recent one alleging that the Diocese has been compromised by Governor Ugwuanyi. They have thrown caution and God's fear into the wind.
One dangerous and worrisome aspect of their desperate intrigues is their bid to introduce religious politics in the state. In a bid to configure Governor Ugwuanyi as an enemy without weighing or considering the consequences or implications, they have recruited some gullible, emotionally unstable and political naive Catholic priests from Nsukka Cultural Zone into partisan politics, hiding under the usual vague Nsukka interest or agenda.
These priests who have become willing tools are gradually showing their faces. They need to be tamed and cautioned by the Church leadership before they drag the entire sacred temple of God to the mud.
Among the priests that have been hoodwinked by these political undertakers of Nsukka extraction are Rev. Fr. Ben Agbo and Rev. Fr. Dennis Attah.
Rev. Fr. Attah has written two grammatically-wrong and baseless open letters to Governor Ugwuanyi. Since he received backlashes and strong condemnations for his induced nonsensical open letters, nobody has heard from him again. It is possible he has realised his mistakes.
Rearing his ugly head recently in the political turf on Enugu North Senatorial zone WhatsApp platform is Rev. Fr. Ben Agbo, the Parish Priest of Imilike Enu Parish and Clergy in charge of Political Awareness in Udenu LGA.
Rev. Fr. Agbo in his scathing comment called out Governor Ugwuanyi for not declaring open support for Peter Obi's presidential ambition.
Thank God, Rev. Fr. Agbo like his paymasters didn't say that Governor Ugwuanyi has disappointed or betrayed Nsukka people or that he has not done anything in Nsukka.
Well, I don't know when Rev.Fr. Agbo's brief or work as a Catholic Priest and Clergy incharge of Political Awareness In Udenu LGA is to dictate for people who to support or not to support in the elections. If that is the case, it means that Rev. Fr. Agbo is on dangerous mission capable of destroying the Catholic Church and the faithful.
I don't know about Rev. Fr. Agbo's political exploits, even as an ordinary man, that made him an unsolicited political adviser to Governor Ugwuanyi, who has never lost any election since 2003 till date.
I don't know when Rev.Fr. Agbo became a registered member of a political party even as a serving Catholic priest? I don't know when Rev.Fr. Agbo removed his Cassock and left the pulpit to work as campaign director and spokesman of a political party.
By Rev.Fr. Agbo's public comment, he has shown his political bias and leaning, which is not surprising to those who know him and his antecedent. He is indeed a partisan politician in Cassock and on the pulpit. Can the two occupations go together? Your guess is as good as mine.
Meanwhile instead of hiding under the pulpit and Cassock to play partisan politics, nothing stops Rev. Fr. Agbo from joining partisan politics full time. After all, the last time I read the 1999 constitution as amended, nothing precludes or bars an ordained priest of any denomination from joining or playing partisan politics and having experience of it, with its concomitant challenges and benefits.
We had the likes of late Rev. Moses Adasu, who became governor of Benue State and Rev. Jolly Nyame, who served as two-term Governor of Taraba State and was recently released from prison, where he was incarcerated for years over corruption charges.
In October, 2020, an Anglican Priest, Reverend Wavel Ramkalawan was elected and sworn-in as President of Seychelles. His victory came after six attempts to become the President of the country, a dream he started pursuing in 1998.
Before his presidential aspiration, he had joined politics by being a staunch member of Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) while serving as an ordained priest of Anglican church. He was still in active service when he was elected President and sworn-in. He is now in power and expected to correct those things he has been strongly critical on the pulpit.
In the recently concluded governorship primaries of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hycianth Aila of Catholic Diocese of Gboko won the party's governorship ticket after defeating others in a keenly contested primaries. He was never demoralised or discouraged by the sack issued to him by Gboko Diocese for engaging in partisan politics.
Although, everyone must or should not be a politician, nothing stops the likes of Rev.Fr. Agbo and his cohorts from joining politics so as to stop engaging in cheap talks and writings against Governor Ugwuanyi and other politicians on social media platforms.
Those who know Rev.Fr. Agbo including his covert paymasters should tell him to stay out of partisan politics or join it.
He cannot descend into political arena under any guise and expect to leave unscathed or unperturbed. It is not possible because politics is game of power struggle.
If Rev.Fr. Ejike Mbaka could be sanctioned by the Enugu Catholic Diocese for making unguarded political utterances capable of painting the church as partisan, nothing stops Catholic Diocese of Nsukka from reprimanding partisan priest like Rev. Fr. Ben Agbo for crossing the red lines by his words and actions.
All eyes are on the Catholic Church leadership to know how they will handle Rev.Fr. Agbo's political romance, obsessions and excesses.
Onah writes from Opi, Nsukka
