PFN defends Kukah, says he spoke truth to power

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has defended the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese, Matthew Kukah, on his Christmas message to President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the cleric spoke the truth to power.

Kukah had accused President Buhari of nepotism, adding there could have been a coup if a non-northern Muslim president did a fraction of what Buhari had done.

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has called for Kukah’s prosecution, describing his comment as a “treasonable felony against the Nigerian state”.

But the PFN President, Felix Omobude, said Kukah should not be made a sacrificial lamb for expressing his views.

He said Kukah “spoke on what is in the minds of most Nigerians and should be commended for voicing out when others kept quiet when things were getting out of control.”

The PFN president, who spoke in Benin, Edo State, on Wednesday, said as a patriot and an advocate of democracy, the bishop could not have called for an overthrow of government.

“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,” he said.

He also said, “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.

“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.”