The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has described the Nigerian Coalition of Pastors for Good Leadership as a faceless group and does not represent nor speaks for Christians in Nigeria.
The CAN disclosed this in a statement signed by Luminous Jannamike, Special Assistant on Media to President, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh, in Abuja on Sunday.
Jannamike said the CAN would not prevent individuals and self-acclaimed ministers from carrying out their activities, it however, noted that it cannot join issues with religious blocs not affiliated with CAN.
The statement reads in part: “The message is very simple and clear. We still stand on our earlier stance of ‘No to same faith ticket.’ As far as we are concerned, they are a faceless group. We cannot really be seen joining issues with them. They are free to do what they want to do.
“We need to be conscious of the fact that people have right to congregate under any platform they want and say whatever they want. These people are not affiliated to CAN and we don’t even know them. They (Abuja pastors) are individuals who have chosen to endorse Tinubu. Good luck to them!”
The Abuja pastors and bishops on Sunday endorsed the Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying Tinubu has got the right frame of mind to rule the country.
The coalition president, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin and secretary, Revd Friday Obi, in the statement they jointly signed noted that it be unfair for Nigerians to sacrifice the capacity of the APC candidate on the altar of the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.
They said they fully support power shift to South after President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that a northerner, would have ruled for eight years.
“This is for equity and fairness as well as in the spirit of the existing unwritten rule to have power rotate between the North and the South.
“We were left to choose between His Excellencies Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peter Gregory Obi, who are the frontline candidates from the South. After consideration of so many critical factors and wide consultation, we have decided to settle for the candidacy of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.”
As if waiting in the wings, CAN followed hours later condemning the endorsement, saying CAN is standing on its earlier stance on ‘no to same faith ticket.’
The endorsement of the former Lagos State governor, by clerics under the aegis of Nigerian Coalition of Pastors for Good Leadership, took place after a town hall meeting with some party chieftains of Tinubu’s support group, City Boy Movement.
Oguntimehin explained they chose to endorse Tinubu because of a number of factors, among which he said Nigeria can only be governed by someone with demonstrable experience, capacity, ability and capability, which were evident in the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.
He said the APC national leader has remained loyal to the cause of Nigeria, which was demonstrated through his involvement in National Democratic Coalition activities that brought the military to its knees and ushered in the current democracy in 1999.
