CAN Elects New President

Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle

– CAN has elected a new president to represent Nigeria’s Christians  – Baptist Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle will now lead the organization  – The association represents five of Nigeria’s main Christian groupings

The Christian Association of Nigeria has elected a new president.

Media report continues:

The current president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), who also stood as the official candidate of the Christian Council of Nigeria, CCN, Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, is now the president of the major religions institution.

Rev Ayokunle won out against his nearest competitor, Elder Joseph Otubu of the Motailatu Church Cherubim and Seraphim Movement (MCCSW), the chosen candidate of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches, OAIC, with 57 votes to 28.

The news of Rev. Ayokunle’s election was met by National Executive Council delegates with rapturous applause in Abuja. Prof. Joseph Otubu has also become the Vice President of the Association for the next three years under CAN’s constitution.

CAN was founded in 1967 and represents five different Christian blocs in Nigeria, including the Catholic Church in Nigeria, as well as mainline Protestant churches and Pentecostal groups.

CAN Presidency: Northern Christians Write Oritsejafor, Seek Election Shift

Leadership reports that the Northern States branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday asked the outgoing president of the association, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor to shift today’s planned election to another date.

According to the Public Relations Officer of Northern CAN, Reverend John Hayab, an election that will usher in new executive of the body should not be overshadowed by controversy.

The election into the new executive of the national CAN is slated for today (Wednesday) after the mandatory second tenure of the president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and his vice, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, had expired.

The Northern CAN who took this position after its meeting in Kaduna, said shifting the proposed election would not only unite the body, but also make the national CAN stronger.

The association with five bloc, comprises Christian Council of Nigeria, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Organization of African Instituted Churches, and the Evangelical Fellowship of West Africa had been embroiled in series of crises of recent.

According to the association, it is necessary to shift the poll so as to allow for genuine reconciliation and resolution of crisis   among all the blocs that form the CAN.

The Northern CAN, therefore, urged the outgoing president to ensure that the crisis in ECWA/TEKAN bloc of CAN, amongst others were resolved before any election could hold, noting that it was unfortunate that they (body of Christ) that were saddled with the responsibility of reconciling others “cannot reconcile ourselves.”