The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Daniel Okoh, has distanced himself from the appointment of seven officials of the association in the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement on Thursday night, Okoh expressed worry about the development, noting that, “it counters the well-known stance of CAN on partisanship.”
The campaign list which was released on Thursday in Abuja shows that five officials of CAN made the list.
The association had been vehemently opposed to the Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket of the APC.
Among those made the APC campaign list are the Assistant General Secretary of the association, Apostle Biodun Sanyaolu, who was appointed as Assistant Coordinator; Lagos State chairman of the association, Stephen Adegbite (member) of the campaign council and Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Comfort Chigbue (member); and Testimony Onifade, former Personal Assistant to immediate past CAN President, Samson Ayokunle (member).
Others include Victor Ivoke, Personal Assistant to Rev. Daniel Okoh, CAN President (member); the association’s former Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Kwamkur Samuel (member), and Prof. Para-Mallam (member).
However, the CAN President, distanced himself from the APC list as he expressed
disappointed that his trusted Personal assistant was among beneficiaries of the APC list, despite opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Okoh said, “My attention as President of the Christian Association of Nigeria has been drawn to the revised list of members of the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 President Campaign Council wherein the names of some outgoing officials of the body were featured.
“Such a development is worrisome because it counters the well-known stance of CAN on partisanship.
“I want to categorically exonerate my humble self from this development and any of such that may occur in the future.
“I want to use this medium to assure all Christians in Nigeria and the general public that since I received the news, I have commenced full investigation into how the officials got involved into overt partisanship.
“At the end of the probe, CAN will take fair, but decisive and appropriate action with a view to defending the ideals of the umbrella Christian body I lead by the grace of the Almighty God.
“On a final note, I urge the general public to be calm while we collectively work to entrench a culture of inclusion and respect for our religious diversities in our political leadership.”
