Obi said: “Why would Okowa suggest that it is wrong for anybody to reach out to the Churches? Is this not contemptuous of Churches?
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has replied Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, saying he won’t stop attending church events just to make Okowa feel comfortable.
Recall that Okowa accused Obi of playing religious politics with his visits to churches.
Obi, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Valentine Obienyem in a statement on Friday, said it was on record that Obi attended programmes he was invited to, including those organized by the Churches.
He said: “Should Obi start shunning Church events because of politics, even when we know that since leaving office in 2014, Obi has visited over 1000 schools and hospitals owned by the Churches, offering them all manner of support for the upgrade of their schools and hospitals that serve the citizens of Nigeria.”
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Obienyem cautioned against bringing the name of the Church into disrepute, warning that those doing such were those linking genuine actions of patriots to politics, even when it was absolutely unnecessary.
He said: “Why would Okowa suggest that it is wrong for anybody to reach out to the Churches? Is this not contemptuous of Churches?
“Everybody is affected by the bad governance in the country and should expectedly be involved in the efforts to enthrone good governance. He should be told about the difference between being politically aware and getting involved in active politics.
“Very soon, they will start to criminalize the encounter Obi is having with Nigerians in Diaspora,” he added.