- Allegation baseless –Youths
From Fred Itua, Abuja
THE crisis rocking the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has assumed a new dimension as key leaders of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), alleged that the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led executive is plotting to scheme them out of the forthcoming election of the organisation.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, ECWA representative in CAN, Pastor Wakili Kadima alleged the process leading to the election fixed for June is marred with “illegality” and “impunity” in a bid to exclude some persons from the North from participating in the exercise.
But, President of Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria, Evangelist Simon Timothy Nasso, an affiliate of CAN loyal to Oritsejafor, said the allegations were baseless and untrue.
The allegation came at a time controversy was trailing the reported exclusion of Tarayya Ekklesiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (TECAN), ECWA nominee, Rev. Jeremiah Gado as the consensus candidate of the TECAN/ECWA block in CAN, which represents the North.
Gado’s emergence during the kidnap of Dr. Emmanuel Dziggau had been considered part of a grand plan to exclude the latter from the TECAN/ECWA nomination process.
On the contrary, Nasso said: “The questions every reasonable person should be asking are: is Dr. Jeremiah Gado born for CAN leadership? Has there not been election in CAN before him and will there not be after him?
“What will be his gains if he destroys the unity of the church? Will he stop being a Christian if he does not become the CAN president?
“We call on all Christians to fervently pray against the new trend of government sponsoring candidate for church elections.
“Those in authority should know that their God-given mandate is not for the oppression of the church.”