In what looks like further rebuttal of the claims of the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, that he and his wife are godparents of Soludo’s children, wife of the Governor of Anambra State, Nonye Soludo, has insisted the claim is false.
Quoting the canon laws of the Catholic Church, Mrs Soludo stated that Peter Obi’s wife being the godmother of her daughters does not make her husband, Peter Obi, to claim to be godfather of the child or any of their children, as sponsorship of a child’s Catholic baptism is usually on an individual basis.
In a statement released by Mr Daniel Ezeigwe, Media Assistant to First Lady of Anambra State, Soludo’s wife stated that the laws of the church are clear on such matters.
The explanation followed arguments that, as there is no difference between Peter Obi and his wife, the presidential candidate was right in his claim to being godfather of Soludo’s children, since his wife was involved.
Parts of Mrs Soludo’s statement read, “There appears to be a deliberate, or daft, attempt by some people to turn a straightforward Catholic practice into something it is ever not.
“In the Catholic Church, a baptismal godparent, technically called a sponsor, is a person formally chosen to undertake that responsibility for the person being baptised. Canon 873 of the Code of Canon Law provides for one sponsor, either male or female, or one male and one female sponsor.
“The important point is this: the responsibility belongs to the person who is actually designated as the sponsor. If a woman is chosen as the godmother of a child, her husband does not automatically become the child’s godfather simply because she is married to him. Marriage does not transfer the canonical role of sponsor from one spouse to the other.”
The First Lady went forward to say that Peter Obi’s supporters were free to interpret relationships however they wish socially, but they should not present a personal interpretation as though it were the Catholic Church’s definition of baptismal godparenting.
She said: “The relevant question is very simple: Who was formally designated as the child’s baptismal sponsor? That is what the Church recognises. Not who the sponsor is married to. Not who attended the ceremony. Not who gave consent to the arrangement. And certainly not what political supporters later decide the relationship should mean.
“Catholic practice is precise. The argument should be equally precise. Peter Obi’s aimless cheerleaders should find time to lend some common sense from logic.
“The Church’s own rules make the distinction clear. Canon 877 requires the names of the sponsors to be recorded in the baptismal register, alongside the names of the minister and the parents. Therefore, if a particular woman was the person designated as the child’s baptismal sponsor, that is what she is: the child’s godmother. Her husband’s consent to her accepting the responsibility, his presence at the ceremony, his friendship with the family, or even his personal relationship with the child does not, by itself, make him a baptismal godfather.”
Peter Obi’s wife is godmother of my daughter not her husband – Nonye Soludo insists