- The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has dissociated itself from a group of Northern clergy who visited President Muhammadu Buhari recently
- The group described itself as Arewa Pastors Peace Initiative, Nigeria (APPIN)
- CAN said the group is alien to their organisation
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has dissociated itself from a group of Northern clergy who visited President Muhammadu Buhari recently.
The group which described itself as Arewa Pastors Peace Initiative, Nigeria (APPIN), visited the president on Thursday, April 6 at the presidential villa, Abuja.
They pledged their support to the president and said those accusing his administration of nursing an Islamisation agenda were opposition elements trying to destabilise the government.
CAN said the pastors who visited President Buhari in Aso Rock recently are not known to the organisation. Photo credit: State House
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In a statement sent to journalists on Friday, April 6, CAN President, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, media aide, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, urged the members of APPIN to produce a list of clergymen on payroll of the opposition party.
The statement reads: “The attention of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has been drawn to a group of clergymen under the aegis of Arewa Pastors Peace Initiative, Nigeria (APPIN).
“CAN does not know any of them and their organisation is even alien to the association and fortunately enough they did not claim to be part of CAN. We are happy that the Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (Northern CAN) has also disowned them.
“We are totally disappointed that a group of people who claimed to be pastors will be visiting the president without asking for the freedom of Leah Sharibu and over 100 Chibok girls who are languishing in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists, whose only crime is their religion.
“We wonder why these supporters of our resident, who claimed to be servants of God, would not ask him to stop the unending killings going on under his watch in the Christian predominant communities in the north-central and some states in the south.
“They were so concern with the 2019 election that they forgot to tell the president that the primary duty of any serious government is to provide security to the governed irrespective of their religious and ethnic affiliation.
“Telling President Buhari that the opposition had hired some pastors against his government speaks volume of where they are coming from and who they are in the body of Christ.
“We are waiting for the list of the pastors whom they know that are on the pay roll list of the opposition who are allegedly guilty of hate speech. We all know how those who engaged in such an ungodly exercise in the Bible ended up.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria will not be discouraged by the activities of those whose agenda include but not limited to polarisation of the association and blackmailing its leadership. We cannot turn the blind eye to the ordeal of our brothers and sisters anywhere in the country.
“Those who are not concerned about the violence in the country are also free to associate and express their views while Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church is on the throne to reward loyalty and judge the betrayals sooner or later.
“CAN as an organisation is apolitical and we always ask our members to pray for President Buhari and other political office holders in the country to rule with the fear of God.”
Meanwhile, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said it will be difficult for Nigeria to have a peaceful 2019 election, adding that it would be a miracle if the country pulls through the elections successfully.
The respected clergy said this in an interview published in the April edition of The Africa Report magazine.
According to him, there is heightened tension in virtually all states in the country, which would make it difficult for a peaceful election to be achieved.
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Source: Naija.ng