Archbishop Valerian Okeke Blasts Gov. Soludo For Threatening Rev Fr. Ebube Muonso And The Catholic Church.
In furtherance of his unhinged and erratic commitment to prioritizing non critical issues issues, chasing shadows, addressing frivolities while ignoring critical matters and attacking Anambarians in every sector, The governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo has moved from humiliating traditional rulers to attacking and threatening the church of God.
Anambarians who attended the burial ceremony of the mother of popular Catholic priest, Rev Fr. Obimma Ebube Muonso watched in shock as the state governor threw all caution to the wind and allegedly launched a verbal attack on the family of the deceased casting serious aspertions on both the priest and the institution he represents for daring to bury their matriach with pomp and pageantry that exceeded what was obtainable when the governor buried his father few weeks ago.
Due to the development, The Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha Archdiocese and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian Okeke who could no longer tolerate the power drunkenness of the Governor responded swiftly and in kind.
The Archbishop and Prof Chukwuma Soludo were locked in a war of words most especially over the governor’s threat to impose a fine on the Obimma family for celebrating the funeral ceremonies of Ezinne Grace Obimma in what the governor described as flamboyant manner.
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Soludo had at Nkwelle Ezunaka during the requiem mass for Ezinne Grace Obimma, mother of the spiritual director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Rev Fr Emmanuel Obimma, lambasted the family, particularly Charles Obimma, who was a member of the legislature that passed the state burial law in 2019 and Rev Fr. Ebube Muonso, for allegedly over-shooting limit of burial expenses prescribed by the law.
The governor said the insignificant, low-key burial of his late father, Pa Simeon Soludo, was child’s play compared to that of the late Madam Obimma, who died at 88.
Countering the governor, Archbishop Okeke flayed him for stepping into an area he had no jurisdiction, asking him to respect the boundaries or principles of separation of jurisdiction.
The cleric said: “ In separation of power, you don’t make laws for the church on how to bury the dead because it’s bound to fail.
“It’s not the duty of the governor to make law on how Christian burials should be done because there are more serious things the government should do than burials. Any law that is impossible to keep or enforce should be considered unjust.”
According to him, the church can only make laws where it has exclusive ecclesiastical powers and not for the government because they remain two separate jurisdictions.
He pointed out that the church made suggestions on how to cut expenses during burial but noted that the choice of celebrants to decide whether to spend hugely or meagrely depended on them.
It’s in Nigeria would the Government not give you any money but want to make law on how you would spend the money…. 😂
The church and government can only say the number of days they want the duration which it’s officially 1day…
What’s this nonsense law about the amount the deceased children decide to use to bury their loved ones?
Did the person solicit for Government’s fund?
All i want to say is…. Government should focus on the massive insecurity ravaging the state not burial law…..
Same Soludo flaunted the law of his own community to bury his father on the 23rd of December against the age long instituted law in his own community against that…He knew and knows it was wrong hence went ahead to do it, thereby setting a very wrong precedence .. Who would sanction him for that?….. Funny world.!!