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| Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State. |
Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, has responded to a prophecy made by Reverend Father Emmanuel Obimma, the Spiritual Director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, that Fulani terrorists would attack him (Soludo).
In his forecast, Obimma, also known as Ebube Muonso, said he witnessed herders with tribal marks assaulting Anambra Government House while the governor ran out in a pool of blood.
In a viral video, the priest claimed that the state and Soludo needed to be prayed for, and that the governor should pray for himself.
The cleric also claimed that the governor, who took office on March 17, was underperforming in general, particularly in the areas of security and garbage management.
Ebube Muonso had chastised Soludo for the state's inadequate waste management, saying the governor had yet to demonstrate to Ndi Anambra that they had not made a mistake voting for him in the 2014 governorship election.
The preacher also reminded the governor of his vow to make Anambra resemble Dubai and America, adding that he must not disappoint the state's people.
He also mentioned a variety of issues that needed to be addressed, such as gunmen and instability, as well as other prophecies.
However, despite the priest's monopolistic authority over the pulpit, Soludo responded that such a monopoly required the cleric to exhibit caution and maturity in his use of the pulpit.
Soludo in a six-point write up which went viral online, said, “I don’t believe these political or phantom ‘prophecies’ are designed to play to the gallery.
“That’s not my upbringing and faith as a Catholic. You have my contact and assuming that anything was ‘revealed’ to you as a threat to my life, do you really believe that the best way to communicate it is on your pulpit?
“As an orthodox Catholic, I was brought up not to join issues with any man of God. I have been in the public arena for two decades and I appreciate comments and criticisms from the citizens, including the men of God.
“I welcome your comments, advice and even criticisms as such help us to do better because we are certainly not perfect.
“I am writing to you, in the exercise of my duty (as a member of your Laity),to also advise you – but not publicly on the pulpit as you chose to do.
“In your prophecy, you are certainly entitled to claim that you ‘saw’ anything, and to call for prayers. I need all the prayers in the world and I believe that thousands of people of goodwill are praying for us and for Anambra.”
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| Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State. |
The governor said the man of God, through his adverse comments, failed to acknowledge the huge efforts being made to confront the challenges in the state by his government.
According to him, when no governorship candidate could campaign freely in the entire Anambra South Senatorial District before last year’s election because the zone was totally taken over by unknown gunmen, no one heard Ebube Muonso’s voice.
The governor added, “I was almost a victim. No one heard your voice. In my inaugural address I devoted paragraphs to address the issue. And Ndi Anambra from all over the world are calling in solidarity and offering support.
“I wish God will also ‘reveal’ to you the identity of the criminals so that we take them out. I know that you are a man of God and I deeply respect all of God’s anointed, but making incendiary and wild claims about security under the cover of the pulpit should be moderated.
“Father, I expect you to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. We admire you and the thousands of your followers deserve leadership and direction.”
However, in a statement on Tuesday, the Press Secretary to Soludo, Christian Aburime, urged the people to ignore the write-up, even though it has “inadvertently” addressed the issues raised by the cleric.
The statement titled, ‘Trending write-up on Father Ebube Muonso’s prophecies’ read in part, “The above write up trending on some social media handles should be ignored, even though it has inadvertently addressed the unfortunate issues raised by our respected and most revered clergyman, the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministries, Uke, Rev Fr. Obimma, popularly called Ebube Muonso.
“Soludo would not be distracted from delivering good governance to the good people of Anambra state.
“Soludo, at all times, has respect for the clergy, the church and indeed all men and women of God and will not join issues with them
“The governor further enjoins the good citizens of Anambra State to go about their lawful duties without fear of molestation, and assured that the security of their life and property is the main priority of his government."