Okorocha Issued N50m Dud Cheque To Catholic Church, Says Priest

Culled from Thisday
The Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director,
Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN),
Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has descended heavily
on the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas
Okorocha, for allegedly issuing N50 million
‘dud’ cheque to Owerri Catholic Archdiocese
“even after voting massively for him in the
2011 governorship election.” He recalled that
the catholic community controls about 60
per cent of the voting population in the state
which reasonably favoured Okorocha who
contested on the platform of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to clinch
the governorship seat.
“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," he said.

Btw, are priests now politicians? Lol... if you
care to know what I mean read the full article
after the cut. Oga ju.
The Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director,
Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN),
Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has descended heavily
on the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas
Okorocha, for allegedly issuing N50 million
‘dud’ cheque to Owerri Catholic Archdiocese
“even after voting massively for him in the
2011 governorship election.”

He recalled that the catholic community
controls about 60 per cent of the voting
population in the state which reasonably
favoured Okorocha who contested on the
platform of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) to clinch the governorship
seat following the widely propagated
allegation that the immediate past governor,
Ikedi Ohakim, who was also seeking a re-
election assaulted one of their priests in the
build up to the 2011 elections.
Mbaka, who made this shocking revelation at
his Christ the King adoration ground, Enugu,
which also has Ohakim and his supporters in
attendance, described the rescue mission of
the  governor as a disappointment to God and
humanity, having betrayed the confidence and
trust reposed in him by the Imo State
electorate.

While regretting what he described as an
orchestrated blackmail and hi-tech
propaganda that scuttled the re- election bid
of Ohakim, the cleric attributed the
development to selfishness and insensitivity
on the part of his former aides whom he also
accused of jeopardising his investigation
ahead of the elections by not granting him
access to interact and possibly establish the
veracity of the damaging allegation that
pitched him against the entire catholic
community.
"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," Mbaka exploded.

Speaking further on the Okorocha
administration, the clergyman regretted that
after benefitting from the falsehood and
blackmail that ousted the former governor
from office, the rescue mission governor has,
to the chagrin of everybody, decided to
reward the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri
and the people with N50 million dud cheque
and bad governance.

"After the blackmail and falsehood that
Ohakim assaulted a Catholic priest, the man
who benefitted 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," he said.
Reacting to the allegation, Okorocha's Senior
Special Assistant on Media, Sam
Onwuemeodo, said he would make available
the serial numbers of the cheques and what
they stood for by today.

He said: “My brother, don't disturb yourself, I
will make the serial numbers of those cheques
to you by tomorrow (today). And you will
know the type of priest Fr. Mbaka is made of.
“Even Archbishop Obinna (Metropolitan
Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province)
who received the cheques can testify about it.

"I have received several calls today
(yesterday) on the matter but I have declined
to speak until I make those cheque numbers
available to you tomorrow," he concluded.