Senator Shehu Sani on Sunday, intervened in the ongoing feud between Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu and the Nigerian presidency, telling President Muhammadu Buhari to reconcile with the priest.
Senator Sani said that the President should put a phone call across to the priest who he described as a patriot and effect the reconciliation.
The Kaduna State born politician/rights crusader said that people who believe in the unity of Nigeria should not be pushed into the hands of separatists.
On the presidency’s claim that Fr. Mbaka was crying wolf because he was denied contracts, Sani said that shouldn’t be an issue as foreigners such as Chinese, Arabs and Europeans were being given contracts in Nigeria.
Senator Sani took to his verified Twitter handle, @ShehuSani to bare his mind on the issue.
The tweet generated more than 1,100 likes, 270 retweets and 160 responses within the first hour of posting.
@ShehuSani wrote: Father Mbaka is a patriot and deserves respect; the President should place a phone call and reconcile with him. People who believe in the Unity of this country should not be disgracefully pushed to the hands of separatists. Even Chinese, Arabs, Jews and Europeans are given contracts.
Recall that the Presidency on Friday dropped a bombshell narrating how Father Mbaka allegedly went to Aso Rock with some contractors to request President Muhammadu Buhari for contracts as compensation for his support at the 2015 and 2019 general elections.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement, said that President Buhari refused Father Mbaka his request, and that was eating up the cleric.
He said:: “An outsider distilling the avalanche of verbiage, will be surprised that after supporting the President two times to win the Presidency, Father Mbaka has made a complete U-Turn, preposterously asking President Buhari to resign or be impeached.
“Here is the point of departure: Father Mbaka asked for a meeting and to the shock of Presidential Aides, he came accompanied by three contractors. The President graciously allowed them in, and to everyone’s surprise, Father Mbaka asked for contracts as compensation for his support.
“Anyone familiar with President Buhari knows that he doesn’t break the laid down rules in dealing with contracts or any other government business for that matter. He requested the appropriate authorities to deal with the matter in accordance with laid down rules.
“Inside the Villa, discretion prevailed, that if those pictures and requests were made public, the followers will turn against the religious leader. None of it was released. Now, this is what is eating Father Mbaka”.
