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National
President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor
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Fresh
facts emerged on Thursday about the allegation by the Rivers State Governor,
Rotimi Amaechi that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party gave
some pastors N6bn to campaign against the Presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the 2015
presidential election.
A
Borno State-based Pastor, Kallamu Dikwa, said the money allegedly given to the
pastors by the Presidency was N7bn and not N6bn as alleged by Amaechi, who
doubled as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organization.
Media widely reported Gov Amaechi
had alleged that some unnamed leaders of the PDP paid N6bn to Christian clerics
to campaign against the APC.
But
reacting to the Northern States Christian Elders Forum, who challenged Amaechi
to name those pastors involved in the bribery scandal, Dikwa told journalists
in Kaduna on Thursday that the said money was channelled through the leadership
of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Dikwa,
who is the Executive Director of the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, said
CAN got the said money (N7bn) on January 26, 2015 and disbursed N3m each to
state Chairmen of the CAN across the country.
He
was also an Associate Pastor with the E. Y. N. Church (Enklesiyan Yan’uwan A
Nijeriya) Farm Centre, Dikwa Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, under Rev. Emmanuel
Kwajihe between 2002-2004.
But
the Presidency and CAN had denied this allegation. While the Presidency said
that Dikwa was an agent of the APC, the General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa
Ayake, maintained that the allegation was total falsehood.
However,
Dikwa, said the CAN had started threatening Christians in the state (Borno)
that they must re-elect President Jonathan in the rescheduled election.
He
said, “It was N7bn that was given to the CAN leadership by President Goodluck
Jonathan. They (CAN) later disbursed N3m each to the state chairmen of the CAN.
The money was handed over to the CAN leadership on 26th January, 2014.
“This
is what I know. One of the CAN officials from Abuja told me that they have
collected the money. The corruption in CAN is terrible. They are corrupting the
body of Christ because of money. They are now threatening Christians in Borno
State that they will deal with anybody who refused to vote for Jonathan. And
the CAN officials are now campaigning that if Buhari emerges President he will Islamize
Nigeria; and that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will resign soon after Buhari wins to
give way for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to emerge Vice President. And at the same
time, CAN is threatening Christians in Borno if they didn’t vote for Jonathan.
And the same CAN continues to blackmail Prof. Yemi Osinbajo that Islamic world
has bought Osinbajo with millions of dollars, all this is because of the N7bn
bribery that they have received from Jonathan.”
But
Ayake in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Ilorin on
Thursday said, “At no time did CAN collect money from Jonathan to preach
against Buhari or to give the impression that Buhari wants to Islamize
Nigeria.”
Ayake
added, “I do not think I will lower ourselves, our integrity and our positions
to somebody who is fake, who called himself a pastor when he is not; a liar,
somebody who does not even know his left from his right. I know the person, if
I want to comment, I will be lowering myself and my integrity to such a thing.
Please that person is not what he claims to be. What he said is a lie. It did
not happen. It will not happen. He is a liar. We should not waste our time on
him. He is not a pastor. He has never been a pastor. He is just a liar. If I
should reply, I would be lowering myself. What he said is between him and his
God. Let him know that when this life is over, we are going to stand before God
to give an account of what we said or did in this life. Let him continue with
his lies, God will catch up with him one day.”
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