The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has thrown its weight behind the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, over his Christmas Day state of the nation comment.
The PFN, through its President, Bishop Felix Omobude, also warned against making the respected Catholic Bishop a sacrificial lamb.
The plebiscite world.com reported that Bishop Kukah had in a Christmas Day statement accused President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism and other shortcomings, adding that there would have been a coup if a non-northern president did a fraction of what the Nigerian leader has done.
The statement received widespread backlash from the presidency, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), which described Kukah’s statement as a “treasonable felony against the Nigerian state” and called for his arrest and prosecution.
Omobude, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin, the Edo State capital on Wednesday, however said the Sokoto Bishop spoke truth to those in power.
According to him, Kukah spoke “what was in the minds of most Nigerians and should be commended for voicing out when others kept quiet when things were getting out of control”.
“Well, I appreciate Bishop Kukah. I don’t think we have interacted one-on-one but if you follow him, you will know that he is down to earth when it has to do with telling the truth.
“Bishop Kukah is an advocate of democracy so he could not have been calling for the military overthrow of the government. The issues that he raised are very glaring.
“Now, it is only in this country that you can’t talk against the government and go free. What is the dust for? I know that the minister of information is paid for his job but he should be honest enough to face certain truth.
“People call Mr.Trump all kinds of names and never has anybody been sued for insulting him but people have been sued in Nigeria for insulting the president.
“So, Bishop Kukah spoke the minds of genuine Nigerians. And any attempt by anybody to impose a section of the nation upon the other is bound to cause chaos.”
The PFN president said further that Bishop Kukah should be seen as a true patriot of Nigeria for being the voice of the voiceless.
“Bishop Kukah should be seen as a patriot and not a sacrificial lamb. He is not a hater of government but he is a lover of truth. I stand wholeheartedly on his views,” he said.