The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi won’t respond to a popular cleric, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka’s comment describing him as a “stingy man”.
Obi’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem confirmed this in a Thursday statement.
Recall that Mbaka, who is the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, has been in the news for criticising Obi.
Speaking during a prayer service at his church on Wednesday, the cleric said the presidential candidate did not have a “generous spirit”.
“It is better to have a president who is a gifted old man than a young man with ‘gum’ hands,” the cleric said.
He claimed to have helped Obi to emerge governor of Anambra “but he did not come to thank God”.
“Peter Obi has a mouthful, he has nowhere to go unless he kneels down on the Adoration altar,” Mbaka said of Obi’s presidential ambition.
“Who doesn’t spend his money eating what you want to support? Do you want people to starve? If he becomes president, he will close our ministry. If Igbo people are looking for a representative in Nigeria, not the kind of person Peter Obi is.”
“Whoever refuses to donate to the church should be the president?” Mbaka added.
Mbaka’s rebuke of the presidential candidate generated a storm on social media, with many users criticising the cleric.
Amid the social media storm, a section of the media reported that Obi had released a statement responding to the cleric’s criticisim.
In his statement, Obienyem said that Obi did no such thing and would not be reacting to the cleric’s comment on the matter.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Mr Peter Obi as his reply to Fr. Ejike Mbaka.
“We wish to state for the record that Mr Peter Obi did not and is not planning to issue any reply.
“We advise that any medium trying to publish such an unsigned letter should clarify its authenticity from Mr Obi’s Media Office,” the statement read.