The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states, has said that it did not endorse the presidential ambition of Governor Yahaya Bello of state.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its extraordinary meeting on Sunday in Abuja the association said it has never adopted any individual for any elective position in the history of elections in Nigeria.
The communiqué, signed by the Public Relations Officer, Northern CAN, Jechonia Gilbert, dismissed recent reports in some online news platforms that the association had endorsed the presidential aspiration of the Kogi state governor.
“We want to clarify the recent report in some online papers that Northern CAN had adopted Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.
“Northern CAN, from history, has never adopted any individual for any elective position in the history of elections in Nigeria and neither will it do so this time.
“Our duty to the Nigerian nation as a religious body, is to pray for the peace of the nation and encourage our members to participate in every constitutional process towards nation building”, the communique said.
The communique said the meeting discussed certain developments in the country including the release of election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We are here to make our contributions towards nation building by directing our leaders from the three zones in the North to go back and mobilize their members to come out en masse to register so as to enable them participate in the forthcoming 2023 general election,” it said.
The communiqué stated that the strategic meeting was meant to collate report from the various zones concerning the security situation in various states that make up the zone with the aim of helping the leadership of Northern CAN in making a bold statement to the nation concerning the worrisome security challenges in the North.
The communique said CAN as an organisation with large followership and its members belonging to different political persuasions, can never adopt an individual as its for the 2023 presidential elections.
“We call on the public to disregard such reportage as it is never the thought or imagination of Northern CAN. There has NEVER been any meeting of the leadership of Northern CAN where such a decision was ever taken.”
The communique called on Nigerians to close ranks for the purpose of defeating their common enemies, especially those killing in the name of religion, kidnapping for ransom and those raping women across the country.
