Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese Matthew Kukah has denied calling for a coup in his Christmas message which has remained a topical issue in the polity.
Kukah said at a media conference on Monday night held at St Bakhita Secretariat in Sokoto that he was pained his message was misunderstood.
“I am pained and very sad that my emergency critics never see that many innocent lives are being lost on a daily basis. The loss of lives in the last ten years, even before the advent of this administration, calls for concern,” he said.
“The reactions are a reflection of every citizen that make up Nigeria. It is sad that when you drop something in Nigeria, everybody goes back to their enclave and abandon the larger picture. I am someone who never takes offense to what people say about me.
“What I said was my opinion based on evidence and what has happened in Nigeria, and if you looked into the records, there is evidence that justifies that statement, and if anyone thinks I am wrong, they should come out with a superior position.
“It is unfair for a journalist or news medium to report that I called for a coup while expressing my personal view about Nigeria.”
Kukah said those who think he had become a politician were “only playing to the gallery.”
“I have no problem with Muslims, Christians, or any other religion but what I don’t like is when someone is using a religious issue to play politics, it is wrong,” he added.
