By CHIDI NKWOPARA
The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Dr. Anthony J.V. Obinna, has reacted to the rumour making the rounds in Imo State that the church wanted the present Deputy Governor, Mrs. Ada Okwuonu, replaced by a Catholic.

Dr. Obina, who made his position known in a press conference in Owerri, also denounced what he termed “the media deceit in the Ohakim-Okwuonu saga”.

His words: “It is a pity that as I seek to halt the decay in the political landscape, some elements in politics and in the media have decided to profit from the decay by deceitfully playing with and around my name in order to give credibility to their profiteering game”.

After making reference to a recent newspaper publication (not Vanguard), the Catholic cleric fumed that at the time of the publication, Okwuonu had not visited him.

“At no time have I, in the name of the Catholic Church, made any such demand. All I have insisted upon has been electing good and upright leaders, irrespective of religious or clannish affiliation and gender identity, who will begin to redress the awful decay in our state, nation and society”, the Archbishop said.

Dr. Obinna added: “I hereby vehemently denounce the deceitful political and media use of my name and of other credible names in our society for the purpose of spreading falsehood, fanning the embers of political contestation, reaping undue election advantage and making cheap money”.