It's unclear if the outspoken priest would abide by the condition given him by the Catholic authorities.
The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has given a condition to its outspoken priest, Ejike Mbaka, if he must avoid the prospect of facing another disciplinary action, PREMIUM TIMES reliably gathered.
Background
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the leadership of the diocese, in October, directed Mr Mbaka to step down as the Spiritual Director of his Adoration Ministry in Enugu, and proceed to a monastery as part of the disciplinary measures against him.
The disciplinary measures against the cleric followed his scathing remarks against the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Mr Mbaka, had in June, prophesied that Mr Obi would not win the 2023 presidential election because he was a "stingy man."
Many Nigerians, including the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, criticised him over "the prophetic declaration" on the LP candidate.
The cleric later apologised to the LP candidate and his supporters, saying his intent was not to malign him.
The Bishop of the diocese of Enugu, Callistus Onaga, later banned church members from attending services at the Adoration Ministry, following the controversial prophecy.
The ban was lifted, three months after. The church then asked Mr Mbaka to step down and embark on a "solitary journey" to the monastery.
Anthony Amadi, another Catholic priest, was appointed as the new spiritual director of the ministry.
The diocese, however, did not give details of the monastery where Mr Mbaka had been scheduled to go.
But in November, Mr Mbaka was spotted in a monastery in Los Angeles, United States, where he was said to have gone in continuation of the "disciplinary measure" imposed on him by the church leadership.
Last month, the cleric returned to Nigeria from the US and resumed activities at the ministry.
The church's condition
PREMIUM TIMES contacted the diocese to enquire if the cleric had been forgiven following his return and resumption of activities at the ministry.
But Anthony Aneke, the spokesperson of the diocese, told PREMIUM TIMES that he did not have such information at the moment.
Mr Aneke, a Catholic priest, asked for more time to get the details of the matter from the former spokesperson of the diocese, explaining that his predecessor was yet to complete the handover process.
But a top official of the diocese, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday that the Catholic Diocese has forgiven the priest and approved his resumption of activities at the ministry.
"Yes. He (Mbaka) has been forgiven and permitted to resume his works there (Adoration Ministry). It's official," said the top official, who claimed to be directly involved in settling Mr Mbaka's squabble with the diocese.
He also said the outspoken priest has also been restored as the spiritual director of the ministry, adding that Mr Amadi, the priest who was asked to take over from Mr Mbaka, has exited the ministry.
The condition
The official said the diocese, however, gave Mr Mbaka condition to desist from making political remarks or risk further disciplinary action from the diocese.
"Although he has been restored by the diocese, it (his restoration) came with some warning, a condition that he should desist from making political statements, which has been the bone of contention," the official, who is also a Catholic priest, stated.
Another official at the diocese, who also asked not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES that the church was tactful in handling Mr Mbaka's matter to avoid overblowing it beyond control.
"It was a very delicate matter. We were being careful. The church has been very tactful in dealing with that matter. It wasn't very easy because all of us were involved in the matter at that time," he said.
Not the first time
Although Mr Mbaka's outburst against Mr Obi generated serious controversies, it was not the first time the cleric would publicly criticise a politician in Nigeria.
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The outspoken priest has attacked several government officials across Nigeria in the past even during the military regime.
Mr Mbaka, for instance, was frequently at loggerheads with Chimaroke Nnamani, during his time as the governor of Enugu State between 1999 and 2007.
Also, the cleric, in his 2015 New Year Message, was said to have attacked the then incumbent Government of President Goodluck Jonathan, in the build up to the presidential election of that year.
In the message, he declared that Goodluck had become "bad luck" and that President Goodluck would give way for the then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, who later won the election, to become president.
Again, in April 2021, the Catholic priest, a known staunch supporter of President Buhari before, in a surprise move, attacked the president, asking him to resign or be impeached for "bad governance."
The presidency fired back at Mr Mbaka, saying the priest was angry because Mr Buhari ignored his request for contracts.
