The All Progressives Congress (APC) has lashed out at the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah for calling out President Muhammadu Buhari and accusing him of failing to fulfil his 2015 campaign promises.
Recall that the Bishop had shared an emotional Christmas message at St. Mary Catholic Church, Sokoto, titled, ‘Let us turn a new leaf,’ on Sunday.
In the message, the fiery cleric criticised President Buhari over his failure to fulfill his 2015 electoral promises to Nigerians, saying that he will be leaving Nigerians more vulnerable than he met them eight years ago.
Reacting in a chat with The Punch on Sunday evening, the Director of Publicity for the APC, Bala Ibrahim, described Kukah’s Christmas message as ungodly and not objective.
The APC chieftain said Kukah was not been fair to Buhari, saying that the cleric should rather appreciate the President for the way and manner he handles the country.
Ibrahim said Kukah was wrong to have insinuated that Buhari has used public office or his position to access better healthcare abroad, adding that the cleric should always consult with his conscience before criticizing the President.
He asserted that the government has not been bearing the cost of medical attention President Buhari has been getting abroad, adding that Buhari has not taken advantage of Nigerian healthcare for the betterment of his own health.
He said: “I hold him (Kukah) in high esteem and respect him because he is a senior brother to a friend.
“Secondly, he is a man of God. But I am sorry to say that sometimes his speeches are ungodly. Ungodly in the sense that he does not seem to be objective at times.
“If you are going to be objective or speak with fairness, you cannot but give credit to Buhari for the way and manner he handles this country.
“When we talk about healthcare, if Kukah is insinuating that Buhari has used public office or his position to access better healthcare, I think he has not been fair to him. All the medical attention the President has been getting has been abroad and at no cost to the government.
“He has been seeing the same set of doctors he was seeing in the last 40 years. This is not a new hospital he visits. It is the same facility and doctors he uses for years in London long before he became the military head of state.
“Buhari has not taken advantage of Nigerian healthcare to the betterment of his own health. Kukah himself knows that very well because we have discussed it in the past.
“Also, when he said there were a number of students or children still in the forest, I don’t know if he’s talking about the Chibok girls or the ones that were taken recently. If you look at the ones taken under the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, look at the speed and efforts made to recover them within a short period of time. I think we must give kudos to the president.
“In the time when Chibok girls were taken, the government even refused to admit they were taken. That was how the lexicon ‘There is God’ came into our dictionary. They did not even admit that such a thing happened let alone acted to set them free. But this government came and within a short period sprang into action and some of these children were released even if it was piecemeal. At least, we are still getting them.
“All the passengers on the Kaduna-Abuja train who were abducted had been freed without casualties. If you look at the speed and the rate of bombardment by the Air Force, you will agree with me that they are hitting these people hard so much that many of them are surrendering and giving up.
“You will not say this government is not doing well at securing and getting people freed from captivity. Gone are the days when Boko Haram attacked in a ruthless manner that they used to do, you don’t get to see that anymore because they have been decimated and no longer have the capacity for any spectacular attack anymore.
“So when a man of God speaks in an ungodly manner, I tend to feel uncomfortable. As I said earlier, he is not a man I will want to join issues with. I still respect him as a senior brother and hold him in high esteem. But I will want him every time he talks to do so in consultation with his conscience.”