Anambra 2010: Ngige, Soludo, Obi divide Catholic Church
By Nwanosike Onu Published Today News Rating:


The choice of Dr. Chris Ngige, Prof. Charles Soludo and Mr. Peter Obi to contest goverrnoship election in Anambra State by their political parties has thrown the Catholic Church into confusion.

The political parties are the Action Congress (AC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

As it stands, the only candidate among the lot enjoying the full compliments of his church is Dr. Andy Uba of Labour Party who is of the Anglican Communion. Hon Mrs. Uche Ekwunife of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) was born of Anglican parents but married to a Catholic.

The Nation

gathered within the week that most of the clerics are divided on who to support among the candidates. All of them had visited their Bishops and other clergymen, including the Anglican clergy to seek their support in pursuit of their aspirations.

One of the clerics from the Catholic Church, who had a chat with The Nation this week, regretted that all the governorship candidates in the three political parties are their staunch members, who had helped the Catholic Church in one way or the other.

The man of God who spoke in confidence with The Nation said that the church had run into a hitch on whom to support.

According to him, "Dr. Ngige is a knight of the Catholic Church and he did well in his first missionary journey here in the state when nobody knew that the state had such money".

Also, the governor now, Mr. Peter Obi is a devoted catholic and I think he has done marvelously well for the church also and look at Prof. Charles Soludo. The question now, is who do we leave out?" he said.

One of the Bishops in the state was quoted in the week after his meeting with Andy Uba as saying: "Since equity is all about fairness, natural justice and good conscience, Andy Uba should be allowed to govern this state next time".

Before the emergence of Soludo and Ngige, the clerics in the state especially in the Catholics had thrown their full weight behind Obi, whom some of them described as a God-sent.

Apart from the three, other major contenders for the post are either Pentecostal or Anglican.

Prof. Soludo of the PDP is a Catholic, so also are Dr. Ngige, Mr. Peter Obi and Mrs. Ekwunife based on marriage, while Andy Uba is an Anglican. Only Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) is a Pentecostal.


http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/30970/1/Anambra-2010-Ngige-Soludo-Obi-divide-Catholic-Church--/Page1.html

Firstly, I think this thread should be in the religious section.
Secondly, In my opinion, the Bishops should stay out of politics.

Things are really happening in Nigeria. How does church activities affects, Anambra's politics? Why are Nigerian Clerics now heavily politicised? Things are really wrong in this country!. No wonder Pastor Adeboye said, Nigerians should pray for this country, so that the constitution is not suspended.

Katsumoto:

Firstly, I think this thread should be in the religious section.
Secondly, In my opinion, the Bishops should stay out of politics.

No!. I disagree on that, the thread is rightly here. Mentioning clerics does not mean it should be moved. The main issue is politics in play, it is church that is the arena.

selingel:

Things are really happening in Nigeria. How does church activities affects, Anambra's politics? Why are Nigerian Clerics now heavily politicised? Things are really wrong in this country!. No wonder Pastor Adeboye said, Nigerians should pray for this country, so that the constitution is not suspended.

How does Anambra issue concern Church? Please let church concentrate on soul winning!. They really need to purge themselves of this interferences.