The Presidency on Friday alleged that the popular Catholic priest Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka asked President Muhammadu Buhari for contracts.
Mbaka shocked the public recently when he called on the president to resign or be impeached over the state of the country.
The preacher who enjoys large following had endorsed Buhari in the build-up to the 2015 and 2019 elections.
Responding to his comments on Friday, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu alleged that the president’s refusal to break protocols to grant the priest contracts as reward for supporting him was “eating Father Mbaka”.
“Father Mbaka asked for a meeting and to the shock of Presidential Aides, he came accompanied by three contractors. The President graciously allowed them in, and to everyone’s surprise, Father Mbaka asked for contracts as compensation for his support,” Shehu said in a statement.
“Anyone familiar with President Buhari knows that he doesn’t break the laid down rules in dealing with contracts or any other government business for that matter. He requested the appropriate authorities to deal with the matter in accordance with laid down rules.
“Inside the Villa, discretion prevailed, that if those pictures and requests were made public, the followers will turn against the religious leader. None of it was released. Now, this is what is eating Father Mbaka.”
