Imo: Uzodinma Has No Issue With Catholic Church, Bishops, Says Govt

By Charles Igbo

The Imo State Government has distanced itself and the Governor of the State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, a staunch Catholic, from an embarrassing, uncleared, undiscussed and unauthorised statement issued by an Aide to the Governor, to the effect that Uzodinma criticised the newly installed Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, the Most Reverend Lucius Ugorji and the Archbishop Emeritus, His Grace the Most Reverend Anthony Obinna, for not allowing him to use a lectern with the Governor’s seal to address the Congregation during the Installation Service of Ugorji on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri.

The Government, in a statement signed by the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, denied any such issue between Governor Hope Uzodinma and the Catholic Church.

Emelumba emphasised that Uzodinma,as a Christian of the Catholic faith, holds the Church and its leadership in high esteem and, therefore, would never undermine their authority.

Emelumba noted that although the Church did not allow Governor Uzodinma to address the faithful with the Executive Seal of Government during the installation of Archbishop Lucius Ugorji,  the Governor did not see it as a slight either on his office or authority.

“To demonstrate that His Excellency was not in anyway bothered by that incident, he went ahead to host the Apostolic Nuncio and other Bishops that attended the ceremony to a State dinner, that same evening. So, there is no animosity to warrant the speculations of rift by the social media, particularly that of the opposition PDP,” the Commissioner said.

He noted that a personal opinion expressed by one of the Governor’s appointees  has since been retracted by the said individual.

According to Emelumba, “what the appointee expressed was her opinion and she has retracted same  to show that Government has no hand in it. Any other appiontee expressing an opinion on the issue is doing so in a personal capacity.”

Emelumba said the Governor has deep respect, not only for the Church, but for all religious leaders and would always accord them their due.

He advised the Media to learn to distinguish between Government’s official positions and mere personal opinion of some people who serve in government to avoid misrepresentation and misinformation.

Lady Chantel Chinyere, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Networking and Communications had, on Friday, made an undiscussed and unauthorised statement to the effect that the Governor felt slighted by the lectern, incident, and so took a swipe at Archbishops Ugorji and Obinna.

Imo Government House sources told this medium on Friday that Governor Uzodinma, on reading the story,  was not only embarrassed, but furious over it, especially, as he took the lectern incident as nothing.