FACT CHECK: Did Mbaka Predict Removal Of Hope Uzodinma As Imo Governor?

ON Sunday, July 12, Onyxnews Nigeria, a Nigerian online news platform, claimed that the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry in Enugu, southeast Nigeria, Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka, has predicted the removal of Hope Uzodinma as the governor of Imo State, southeast Nigeria.

The claim had its headline as “Father Mbaka releases shocking prophecy, says a South East gov will be removed.”.

CLAIM

The report reads “Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma presently is facing some difficulties, likely the prophecy is about him.

With RAP dragging him to court, to interpret the judgement of the Supreme Court, over the real winner of the 2019 APC governorship primary election, and Uche Nwosu, expected to join the case against him, this is not the best of times politically for Hope Uzodinma.

These plot against him might lead to the court removing him on or before December 2020.

Currently, a confirmed statement, attributed to Enugu Catholic priest, Rev Father Ejike Mbaka seems to be pointing towards Governor Hope Uzodinma, as his political problems pile up.

Father Mbaka prophecy is currently going viral on social media and reads as follows; “I see one Governor from South East sacked from office for being too proud, stubborn and not accommodative…he can remedy the disgrace by changing his style now,” the report read on onyxnewsng.com.

Two online news platforms, Newsoneline Nigeria and ZolexReporters also published a similar report on the purported prediction by the controversial Catholic priest.

The claim here is: Mbaka predicts removal Of Hope Uzodinma as Imo governor

FINDINGS

Findings by NAIJA NEWS revealed that though Father Mbaka had predicted the sacking of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State which eventually saw Hope Uzodinma emerging as the new governor of the Southeast state, the Enugu based Catholic priest is yet to make a new prediction on the removal of Hope Uzodinma as reported.

Naija News recalls that the Supreme court sacked Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo state and affirmed Uzodinma as the winner of the March 9 governorship election. Giving judgment on the election January 14, a seven-man panel of justices in a unanimous decision, held that Ihedioha did not win the majority of votes cast in the election.

“The votes due to the appellant, Hope Uzodinma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from 388 polling units were wrongly excluded from scores ascribed to them,” Justice Kekere-Ekun ruled.

However, seven months after Mbaka correctly predicted the removal of Ihedioha as Imo governor, reports have emerged, claiming that the controversial catholic priest has again predicted the removal of Hope Uzodima as Imo governor.

Naija News had reported that a Federal High Court in Abuja, will deliver judgment on a suit asking the court to restrain Governor Hope Uzodinma from acting as Imo governor, four days after it adjourned the matter till today.

A suit filed by the Reform and Advancement Party (RAP) and its 2019 governorship candidate, Okere Kingdom, was called on Wednesday, July 16, the 2019 Imo governorship candidate told the court that he filed an application praying the court to abridge the time within which the defendants would file their responses.

This online news platform understands that the defendants have 30 days under the rule of law, to respond but the plaintiff told the court that he made the application for the court to abridge the time due to the urgency of the matter.

The RAP governorship candidate, who is also a lawyer, held that the matter was of constitutional importance because Uzodinma was occupying the seat of Imo governor illegally, having not participated in the 2019 election as a candidate of any political party.

With the final judgment on the matter yet to be delivered by Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, reports have emerged on several online platforms (Naija News not included) that  Father Mbaka has predicted that Uzodinma will be removed.

The reports quoted Father Mbaka in a new prophecy as saying that “One South East governor will be removed from office for being too proud.”

“I see one Governor from South East sacked from office for being too proud, stubborn and not accommodative…he can remedy the disgrace by changing his style now,” Father Mbaka reportedly prophesied.

Further checks by NAIJA NEWS shows that the alleged prophecy did not emanate from the Adoration Ministry headed by Mbaka as stated by several reports. Prophecies released by Father Mbaka are always published on the Church’s Facebook page.

VERDICT

Based on the available information, the claim that that Father Mbaka has predicted the removal of Hope Uzodinma as Imo Governor is FALSE.