A prominent Catholic knight, Sir James Louise, widely known as Ebube Anaedo, publicly renounced his Christian faith during the inauguration of the Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral in Nnewi, citing the Church’s alleged failure to acknowledge the contributions of the late senator Ifeanyi Ubah to the project.
The cathedral, described as an iconic and massive edifice, was officially inaugurated on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by local and national dignitaries.
However, celebrations were overshadowed when Sir James, dressed in full knighthood regalia, protested after the mass, claiming that Ubah’s substantial investment in the construction was ignored.
Investigations indicated that the late senator had voluntarily spearheaded the cathedral project, completing approximately 85 per cent of the construction before a new bishop, Jonas-Benson Okoye, was assigned to the Nnewi Diocese in 2022.
Following his posting, the bishop reportedly instructed Ubah to disengage from the project, a decision that sparked tension among church members and supporters of the late senator.
During the inauguration, Sir James openly expressed his disappointment, lamenting that the late senator’s name was neither mentioned during the ceremony nor included in the official brochures detailing contributors to the cathedral.
In a video widely circulated on social media, the knight broke down in tears, apologised to the late Ubah on behalf of the church, and dramatically removed his shoes and cap symbols of his knighthood before declaring his withdrawal from Christianity.
“This is my last day as a Christian. I’m done. This is awful,” Sir James said. “How could anyone believe that this cathedral, which Ifeanyi Ubah slaved to build, could be inaugurated without a mention of his name? This is bad. I’m done with Christianity.”
The incident has sparked widespread debate online, with social media users criticising the Catholic Church in Nnewi for allegedly failing to recognise the late senator’s contributions.
As of the filing of this report, the Nnewi Catholic Diocese had not issued an official statement or clarification regarding the controversy.
