Christian Association of Nigeria disassociates itself from Arewa pastors who endorsed Buhari

CHRISTIAN Association of Nigeria (can) executives have distanced themselves from a  group of clergymen known as the Arewa Pastors Peace Initiative, Nigeria (Appin) who recently visited President Muhammadu Buhari and endorsed him for a second term.

Earlier this week, an Appin delegation visited President Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja, where they endorsed him for second term and promised to expose their colleagues opposed to the government. Representing over 45,000 pastors from across northern Nigeria, they accused some of their colleagues of inciting violence and working against President Buhari.

Bishop John Richard, the leader of the delegation, said President Buhari should be given a second term owing to his achievements in security. He added that those accusing the Buhari administration of nursing an Islamisation agenda were opposition elements trying to destabilise the government.

Swiftly distance itself from Appin, however, Can said the pastors who visited President Buhari are not known to the organisation. Can president Reverend Dr Samson Ayokunle, urged Appin to produce a list of clergymen on the payroll of the opposition parties who are opposed to this government.

Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the Can president's spokesman, said: “The attention of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria has been drawn to a group of clergymen under the aegis of Arewa Pastors Peace Initiative, Nigeria. 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 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."

He added that Can wonders why these supporters of the president, who claim 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 geo-political zone and some states in the south. According to Can, they were so concerned with the 2019 elections 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 exercises in the bible ended up. The Christian Association of Nigeria will not be discouraged by the activities of those whose agenda includes but is not limited to polarisation of the association and blackmailing its leadership but we cannot turn the blind eye to the ordeal of our brothers and sisters anywhere in the country," Pastor Oladeji added.

Various other Christian associations have condemned the comments of the Appin delegation and former aviation minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode described them as the offspring of Cain. According to Pastor Oladeji, their actions are not representative of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.

He added: “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.”