A civil society organisation, Conference of Civil Society for Peace, Security and National Development has accused the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah and former Minister of Aviation, Chief Chidoka Osita of joining forces with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to undermine the country and called on the international community and all patriotic Nigerians to be weary of the activities of the duo.

The CSO in a statement signed by its conveners, Dr. Adamu Mohammed and Hon. Mike Msuaan was reacting to media reports that the Bishop and the former minister were engaged by the PDP to lobby support of the United States for it’s success in the 2023 general election

“We have read news reports in several newspapers and on social media platforms indicating that the the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has hired the services of Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and a former minister of Aviation, Chief Chidoka Osita to do a hatchet job of lobbying for the support and understanding of the United States government to support the PDP in the 2023 general elections.

“From the reports, Bishop Kukah and Chief Chidoka Osita are billed to join other Nigerian activists and lobbyist in Washington to pressure the Black Caucus to secure political support for the PDP. There plan is to use an innocuous conference to garner support, and blackmail the government of the day while selling PDP as the only party capable of redeeming the country from the economic and socio- political challenges.

“In the light of the above, the Conference of Civil Society for Peace, Security and National Development wish to raise alarm and call on the international community and all patriotic Nigerians to be weary of the activities of Bishop Kukah, Chidoka Osita and their group. This alarm is intended to place the international community and indeed all Nigerians on alert to the ulterior motives of this group. Their activities are partisan and targeted at undermining the country. Theirs is to use whatsoever means to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, especially the international community. Their inordinate ambition is to get to power in 2023 by all means”, the statement explained.

The CSO further called on Bishop Kukah to desist from hiding under religious cover to play partisan politics urging him to resign from the Church if his preference is politics.

“Kukah should resign from the Church and fully join the PDP and work for it instead of hiding under a facade of a campaigner for good governance when indeed he is determinedly working for the success of the PDP.”

The group reminded Nigerians that the tenure of chief Chidoka Osita as aviation minister had terrible consequences for the nation and aviation ministry.

“That Chief Chidoka Osita was aviation minister and Nigeria does not have a national airline explains the lack of determination and focus he brought into public office”, the group averred.

The CSO also appealed to the Catholic Church in Nigeria to caution Bishop Kukah on his involvement in politics which it said runs against it’s rules.

“The Catholic Church does not support or encourage the clergy to go into full blown politics in the manner Kukah is involved in. During the 2019 election, kukah expended alot of energy and time working for the candidature of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the PDP. He initiated a reconciliation between Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo just to make sure nothing hinders Atiku from winning the election.

“The ill fated campaign for Atiku and his loss at the polls has tuned Kukah into a very bitter soul, opposing every policy of the government and magnifying the security challenges of the nation just to denigrate the government of the day. Curiously, the so many successes recorded by the Nigerian military and other security agencies in the war against insurgency and banditry has not elicited any commendation from Bishop Kukah. He is simply bent on tarnishing the image of the government to pave way for the return of the PDP in 2023 leading to his accepting to join other lobbyist to sway the US government to support the return of the PDP in 2023.