According to a report by Daily Post on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Catholic missionary priest and theologian, Rev. Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, has criticised Primate Elijah Ayodele for the controversial statement the cleric allegedly made about the Igbo people.
Fr. Mbaeri said the claim that the Igbo are under a curse and must undergo cleansing before they can produce a president is unacceptable.
He stated that such a comment is reckless and insensitive, especially in a diverse country already struggling with ethnic mistrust.
The priest said Ayodele’s position ignores serious national issues.
He explained that leadership should be discussed in terms of competence, capacity, integrity, and the credibility of the electoral process.
According to him, reducing an entire ethnic group to an imaginary spiritual defect is dangerous and unfair.
Fr. Mbaeri argued that tribal profiling disguised as prophecy has no place in a country seeking unity.
He questioned the authority Primate Ayodele has to label over 40 million Igbo people as cursed.
The priest said nobody, especially a religious leader, should make statements that promote division or portray any ethnic group as spiritually inferior.
He stressed that the allegation fits the definition of hate-leaning speech directed at a specific community.
Fr. Mbaeri noted that Ayodele’s comment may be linked to past controversies.
He claimed that the cleric has made several prophecies that did not come to pass.
“This same man publicly declared that the Igbo people are under a curse and that until they cleanse themselves, the presidency will always elude them. Imagine that level of recklessness. Who even gave him the authority to tag over 40 million Igbo Nigerians as cursed? What he did fits the exact definition of hate-leaning speech aimed at an ethnic group,” he said.
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