Prominent Christian groups and parent body, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, as well as Christian religious leaders in the North have rejected the All Progressives Congress, APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
They have also condemned in strong terms and dissociated themselves from a purported endorsement of the APC flag bearer by a group under the auspices of Northern Christian Leaders Eagle-Eye Forum.
Executive Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, 19 northern states including Abuja, Professor Daniel Babayi, expressed surprise over the action of the so-called group of religious leaders.
According to him, “The group has a name, Northern Christian Leaders Eagle-Eye Forum and I think they are entitled to freedom of speech. And they never said they are CAN or claiming to be part of CAN. As long as they don’t use the name CAN.
“CAN as an institution is apolitical, CAN, as an institution, does not, as a policy, identify with any political party or candidate. So CAN cannot endorse any person or party.
“As far as I am concerned, I am surprised that a group of religious leaders can go to that extent of endorsing somebody or a party. I am surprised because religious leaders like traditional rulers are not expected to be so brazenly partisan.
“For instance in my Church there are people who belong to different political parties, if I come out openly to identify with one party how do I want other members to feel as a religious leader. So I’m surprised that religious leaders can do that.
“So the prayer I’m offering is May God help us, touch the heart of the religious leaders in Nigeria, to realise that it is risky and dangerous for religious leaders to be openly partisan. And to realise why God has put us in the place of authority, we are not expected to be partisan,” Prof. Babayi said.
Public Relations Officer, PRO, CAN 19 northern states and former CAN Secretary, Kaduna State, Rev. John Hayab said the so-called group, does not represent Christian interests in northern Nigeria.
He said the Chairman of forum, Pastor Habu Aminchi, was dismissed from a church many years ago and does not belong to any church.
He described the meeting organised to endorse General Muhammadu Buhari as a 419 arrangement.
“Well, we are in a democracy and people have freedom of speech. But I can say categorically that even the man I saw on TV speaking and claiming that he is the leader of Northern Christian Leaders, I want people who know him to ask him: Does he even have a church he belongs to?
He was dismissed from a church many years ago. I know him very well; he does not belong to any church. But he uses the name of pastor, bishop, and reverend to embarrass people. The question is, who is he representing and which church?
“We know some of them who are not pastors of any church who parade themselves as pastors to get money, food and recognition.
“It is unfortunate for our country. When you accuse them, they think you do not like their candidate but it is not about their candidate, it is about the attitude, which is not true. It is fake and unfortunate.
“ It is not endorsement…when you say you are endorsing and you do not have anything, you are just playing tricks. But I felt we are in a democracy, if things like this are done for political reasons, so be it but if it is a religious affairs, I’m not sure that that group represents any Christian interest in northern Nigeria.
“As the former CAN Secretary in Kaduna State, CAN PRO in Northern Nigeria, I have worked with so many Christian organisations and still working with them. And I can assure you that from my interaction with people since the day of the event two days back, it was organized 419 atmosphere or arrangement,” Rev. Hayab said.
Immediate past Chairman, Kaduna Central District Church Council, ECWA, Reverend Joshua Nda Anyam, described the action of the forum of religious as cheapening themselves and stooping down so low.
When asked if he supports the group on the endorsement, he said “I am a pastor, so I can’t endorse any candidate or political party.
“As a pastor, I have members who cut across the political divides. So all I do is to preach to them to do what is right and peacefully conduct themselves.
“So to associate myself with a particular candidate will be contrary to the responsibility I’m holding.
“The group stooped down so low to have identified or associated themselves with candidates in a time like this. What we should be praying for as religious leaders is peaceful and credible elections instead of endorsing a candidate,” Reverend Anyam however stated.
Also rejecting the purported endorsement, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Katsina State branch, said they know neither Pastor Habu Aminchi nor his association.
The Chairman of CAN in Katsina, Reverend Nelson Onyekachukwu told the Nigerian Pilot Sunday exclusively that the association disassociates itself from the recent endorsement of APC presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari.
“We are not in support of the endorsement because we were not contacted and no meeting was held with state branches of CAN before and after the endorsement.”
Reverend Onyekachukwu said CAN, Katsina branch, does not know Pastor Habu Aminchi, expressing doubt over the pastor’s membership of the forum that endorsed Buhari.
“We are not aware of the endorsement; CAN northern chapter did not contact us on the issue. Our prayer here is for the emergence of credible leaders.”
Also reacting, Reverend Ibrahim Usman of ECWA GRA, Katsina said he was not aware of the endorsement and it was not done with the body’s consent.
Also in his comment, Reverend Audu Bakwai said he would not comment on the endorsement because he was not aware of it.
In Jos, Chairman of the CAN in Plateau State, Rev. Soja Bewarang, denied speculations that the northern chapter of the association had endorsed the candidature of Bahuri.
Speaking with this paper in Jos, the Plateau State capital, Bewarang, who was the immediate past president of the Church of Christ In Nations, COCIN, said the church was not aware of the endorsement.
CAN is solely saddled with the responsibility of promoting peace and uniting the youths of the two main religions and ensuring a violent free poll” he added.
Similarly, in Maiduguri, Bornu State, the umbrella Christian group debunked such claims that it had endorsed Buhari in a report attributed to a group known as the Northern Christian leaders, Eagle-Eye Forum led by one Pastor Habu Aminchi.
“Christians in Borno are not aware of the endorsement of Buhari,” Bishop Williams Naga explained.
Speaking to our correspondent in Maiduguri on the purported endorsement, the Vice Chairman of the chapter of Northern Christian Elders Forum, Bishop Williams Naga, denied having knowledge of such endorsement by the Christians in the state.
“Actually I am the Vice Chairman of Northern Christian Elders Forum formerly known as NOCEF, Borno State chapter. Arch Bishop Emmanuel Kanamani is our Chairman but travelled out of the country. “We are not aware that such group exists or has endorsed anybody… it was not a consensus agreement, we have not come to any consensus….”
“In my position as the Vice chairman of Northern Christian Elders Forum, Borno State chapter, if somebody like that has been endorsed, generally I must be aware but we are not aware of any such endorsement.”
On whether northern Christians know Pastor Habu Aminchi, the leader of the said group, the man of God said, “you know these days people like to form themselves into clusters or group just to make money and say they are speaking on behalf of the entire people while they are not.
“Pastor Habu, we don’t know about him. In fact there was a time somebody with that kind of name said he was a representative of the entire Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in the north but later we discovered that he was not so….
“If there is an endorsement by Christians, it should come through CAN. Secondly, if it is to be by the elders, the Northern Christian Elders Forum will come up as a formidable kind of consensus…” Bishop Naga further explained.
It will be recalled that a group, which calls itself Northern Christian Leaders, had reportedly endorsed Buhari, the APC presidential candidate in Abuja.
The group, which the northern region chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and the Northern Christian Elders Forum have dissociated themselves from, is led by one Pastor Aminch Habu.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
