The Federal Government has accused the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Mathew Kukah, of calling for an overthrow of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
The accusation was made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed in a statement titled, ‘FG Urges Religious Leaders To Eschew Message of Disharmony’, in reaction to Kukah’s Christmas message.
In his message, the Catholic Bishop said the Buhari-led government owes Nigerians an explanation as to where the country is heading to.
The cleric noted that there could have been a coup or war if a non-Northern Muslim had emerged as the President of this country.
“Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-Northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and gotten away with it.
“There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war. The President may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions,” Kukah had said.
But reacting on Saturday, Lai Mohammed warned religious leaders in the country to refrain from stoking the embers of hatred and disunity which could “trigger unintended consequences”.
According to him, Kukah has a responsibility to speak truth to power but “such truth must not come wrapped in anger, hatred, disunity and religious disharmony”.
Mohammed warned, “Calling for a violent overthrow of a democratically-elected government, no matter how disguised such a call is, and casting a particular religion as violent is not what any religious leader should engage in, and certainly not in a season of peace.
“While some religious leaders, being human, may not be able to disguise their national leadership preference, they should refrain from stigmatising the leader they have never supported anyway, using well-worn and disproved allegations of nepotism or whatever.
“Whatever challenges Nigeria may be going through at this moment can only be tackled when all leaders and indeed all Nigerians come together, not when some people arrogantly engage in name-calling and finger-pointing.”
