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| Ngige |
Report By Aloysius Attah
It was on a Sunday in a
Pentecostal church located at Awka Road, Onitsha. The pastor in
charge had invited me to come and cover the grand finale of their annual
convention. I sauntered into the premises around 9 am when the
Pastor’s wife was doing the exhortations. About one hour later, the pastor took
charge. He preached about power of praise and the need to praise God no matter
the situation. He talked about the political scene in Anambra state and the
need for the people to get actively involved so that God will give us another
messiah after Peter Obi. As he launched into anointing prayer and
declared that no evil man will ever occupy the seat of Anambra government house
come March 17 2014, they sauntered into the church. Three in
tow, one identified as Mr. C. C. Nnorom putting on Ngige wrapper design,
another in a black Roman collar like a priest and the third unidentified.
They were given the
floor to address the congregation in jiffy. The man on Ngige uniform said they
are the Inter-religious team of Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige campaign organization.
He said they have been visiting many churches while other members of the team
were on the same mission in other churches even as he spoke. He said they have
come to tell the people the ‘truth’ why Ngige is the messiah. He said to lend
credence to what he is saying they have a catholic priest among them who will
talk to the people shortly. He talked how Anambra has been
‘retrogressing’ since Peter Obi came on board (The people murmured at this
stage showing signs of disapproval on what he said) a direct contrast to what
the state looked like when Onwa was in the saddle. He promised the pastor that
Ngige will take him and the church away from a rented apartment and build a
magnificent church for him immediately he gets back to Awka government House
and other things bla, bla, bla.
He then handed over the
microphone to the man in Roman collar whom the people were really in doubt
whether he is a catholic priest for real. The man grabbed the mic, touched his
small beards and introduced himself as Rev. Fr. Livinus Udemba , CSSP. Immediately
he did the introduction, I adjusted my seat to face him squarely. I am a
catholic and I know the CSSP priests addressed as Holy Ghost Fathers or the
Spiritans. Most of them are very much devoted in their calling owing to the
nature of their training but the one I am seeing face to face was a direct
opposite. I also wondered what a catholic priest is doing in a
Pentecostal church on a Sunday not to talk of coming to campaign for Ngige
against the precepts of the Cannon Law. As I gazed at him, he dropped another
bomb when he said: “I belong to the category of priests known as the mad
priests. Our CSSP congregation to me is Community Secondary School
Products”. I twitched myself in amazement and embarrassment as he
went on to rabble and described Dr. Chris Ngige as junior Jesus Christ who laid
down his life to liberate his people
He told the congregation
that he is working as a civil servant under Mr. Peter Obi in the state Ministry
of Youths and Sports but he has no apologies for owing his loyalty to Dr. Chris
Ngige who employed him when he was governor in the year 2003.
Justifying Ngige’s visit
to Okija shrine at the height of his romance with his now estranged godfathers,
Fr. Udemba said: “Pastor, you know that all of us are men of God.
You know that it is not what we were taught in the theology school that we tell
our congregation. Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil and He followed the
devil even to the pinnacle where devil showed Him all the riches of the world.
Anambra state started to have something good in 2003 when Ngige was governor
and because of that I see Chris Ngige as a junior Jesus Christ”
“I see him as the
only candidate who had manifested certain traits of Jesus Christ. That
is his sufferings and pains that liberated Anambra state. Therefore
as a priest that believes in the political or the social revolution of Jesus
Christ, I see in Chris Ngige a man who has come closer to that character, and
that’s why I go everywhere for him and with him, trying to convince
everybody to vote for him” he said.
To confirm that he is
really a mad priest, Fr. Udemba joined the two others to kneel down in front of
the pastor as he prayed and blessed them. At the end of the service, he also
joined the two at the pastor’s office to take snacks and apple drink before
they left probably to another church for continuous ‘Ngige evangelism’
On getting home, I was
so desirous of knowing more about the self styled and controversial priest. I
kept wondering how a catholic priest that spent 17 years in the course of
formation from secondary school, Philosophy and Theology courses coupled with apostolic
works could act like that. I called Fr. Chukwuemeka Agbonome, the Provincial
Superior of the Holy Ghost Congregation who was once a resident priest at Our
Lady of Fatima, Woliwo, Onitsha where I stayed in the late 90s. Fr.
didn’t pick his calls on time and I headed to the internet to goggle and
research on Fr. Udemba. It was when I scaled through the internet that I
shouted “I for say”.
The dossier on Fr.
Udemba was not palatable at all. He was actually ordained a priest for the Holy
Ghost Congregation in 2001. He hails from Ukpor in Nnewi South Local Government
of Anambra State and was supposed to work in Abuja before he was sent
back to Anambra without any assigned portfolio after working briefly at the
Spiritan Farms.
Fr. Udemba is really a
staff of the Anambra State Civil Service employed by Ngige where he has been
allegedly desecrating the catholic priesthood which led to his suspension from
celebrating mass by his congregation. Sources at the office alleged
that Fr. doesn’t differentiate between married and single women while craving
to satisfy his emotional desires. It got to a head at a point where he
allegedly impregnated a lady in a hotel in Awka owned by Onwa himself among
other abominable and rebellious acts. The priest had at a time contested
for the State House of Assembly seat against the directives of the Cannon law
and his congregation.
The Provincial Superior
of the Holy Ghost Congregation, Rev. Fr. (Arc) Peter Chukwuemeka Agbonome later
saw my text and called back confirming that Udemba was actually
ordained for their congregation but he has fallen out of grace and has been on
suspension for sometime now.
“I know him quite well.
He has been on suspension from public ministry for some years now owing to his
conducts and all efforts we made to rehabilitate him have been in vain. As
priests we cannot openly canvass for a politician not to talk of when a
catholic priest will now visit a Pentecostal church on a Sunday, talk about a
governorship candidate and defending the indefensible. That is
apostasy and it simply tells you that he is no more on the right
track but your information to me now will help us in handling the issue
properly” Fr. Agbonome said.
NONSENSE!!!!!!
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