Following the reaction that greeted Bishop, Mathew Kukah of Sokoto diocese's statement concerning President Buhari administration, the clergy kicked that he was quoted out of context as he did not call for a military coup.
The Bishop stated this while responding to questions over his Christmas message which causes a lot of reaction across the Nigerian political space.
According to the clergy, “What I thought is my innocent message which is something I do all the time, which I released on Christmas day; it seemed it has gotten a lot of attention.
” But I think it is important for us to focus on the freedom that is available to us, the freedom of speech that all of us hold different views about.
Kukah revealed he was sure the congregation followed the reaction that trailed his Christmas message but he wanted to clarify some gray areas for clarity.
The clergy said on this side of the planet, it is difficult for most people to accept an opinion that does not conform to their own, saying if he called for a coup it means the incident is yet to happen.
He said,” So if I call for it, it means it is not ready.
“So it is unfair for any journalist or newspapers to say that I call for a military coup,” he added.
Kukah insisted that there was no rift between him and President Buhari, only that he was not happy with the way things are going right now in Nigeria especially with the way people are losing their lives.
However, he expresses optimism that Nigeria will overcome all these challenges soon as long as we could maximize our diversity.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government had through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed earlier replied to Bishop Kukah that his Christmas message was one of the opinions that are capable of triggering the hate rate among Nigerians which may lead to unintended consequences.
The Minister in his statement which was relayed through the Special Assistant on Media, Segun Adeyemi said, “While religious leaders had the responsibility to speak truth to power, “such truth must not come wrapped in anger, hatred, disunity and religious disharmony.
Similarly, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) described Bishop Kukah’s statement as “unguarded and open incitement to military coup and insurrection against the democratically elected government of Muhammadu Buhari.”
