Fr. Kelvin Ugwu Says Bishop Kukah is ‘Politically Different,’ Suggests Apology to Buhari

A missionary Catholic priest working in Gambia, Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, has stated that Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese has become “politically different” from the outspoken cleric he used to be. Ugwu made this assertion in a social media post on Saturday while reacting to the recent controversy surrounding Bishop Kukah’s comments on the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Dependable NG reports that according to Fr. Ugwu, many Nigerians have been cautious in reacting to Kukah’s recent remarks because of the bishop’s long-standing reputation, but his current stance shows a notable shift from his previous principles. The priest candidly wrote that the reason many observers are treating this issue lightly is due to the person involved. “The truth of the matter is that we are tiptoeing on this issue because the person involved is Bishop Kukah. I bet you, if it were another person, I know what we would have written,” Ugwu emphasized. He clarified his respect for the Bishop but insisted a political change has occurred: “As much as I love Bishop Kukah and have been greatly inspired by him over the years, I can say that having followed him for a long time now and having taken time to analyse his ‘then’ and his ‘now’, the Kukah we have now is a different one politically.”

The missionary priest then accused Bishop Kukah of failing to apply the same critical standards to the current administration of President Bola Tinubu that he consistently used against the government of late former President Muhammadu Buhari. Fr. Ugwu argued that the current administration is delivering a worse experience of the very issues the Bishop previously criticized. He noted that if Kukah wishes to begin offering the present administration “some understanding and sympathy,” a necessary first step would be to “apologise to others for not giving them the same understanding, especially Buhari.” Furthermore, Ugwu highlighted the contentious nature of how the current government came to power, referencing the controversy over the electoral process and the use of BVAS. He concluded that, to him, what the Tinubu administration achieves in office is secondary, “unless we have to suddenly admit that the end now justifies the means.” The priest’s comments suggest that the standard of moral and political scrutiny previously employed by the prominent Bishop has been visibly altered.