By Tunde Johnson
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday disassociated itself from a political group Change Advocates of Nigeria, with the same acronym as CAN who recently endorsed President Muhamadu Buhari for 2019 presidential elections.
The association in a statement signed by Adebayo Oladeji, special assistant, Media and Communications to the CAN President, Samson Ayokunle urged the general public to discountenance the claim as they have not endorsed any presidential candidate.
CAN, however, said the endorsement did not emanate from Christian Association of Nigeria at all.
The statement said: ‘’After reading the report, we have come to realise that the statement was issued by a political movement, Change Advocates of Nigeria, with the same acronym, CAN.
‘’We wish to reiterate here that the Christian body has not endorsed President Buhari or any other presidential aspirant for election. We wish to urge the general public to discountenance the claim because it did not emanate from Christian Association of Nigeria at all.
‘’CAN recognises the right of political groups to perform their activities and also endorse whoever they deem fit in support of their political aspirations. We wish to therefore disassociate ourselves from the political group making this claim using our acronym ‘CAN.
In a similar vein, the association has called on President Buhari to restrain Lauretta Onochie, a presidential aide over use of vulgar abuse and unprintable names against others.
The association in a statement condemned Onochie’s description of CAN as “CAN of worms” on her Twitter account.
Onochie had twitted, “Prime Minister Theresa May, a Christian, is in a mosque doing what humans go to do in a place of worship. She knows that her God is the same one also called Allah. Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN of worms, Here’s a great lesson in love and godliness, not hatred & anger!”.
‘’The Christian body said at first they decided not to comment on the tweet, thinking she may not be speaking for President Buhari, but the failure of the Presidency to call her to order is capable of making us to believe that she is expressing the mind of the Presidency, her employer.
‘’Onochie, from all indications, shares a lot of things in common with Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal. She is also like Eliab who was not ready to stand up against Goliath who had defied the God of Israel, but was burning with anger at David who would not allow Goliath to continue insulting God and His people.
‘’Instead of asking CAN leadership to borrow a leaf from the British Prime Minister, Onochie should have directed her advice to her principal to emulate his British counterpart who gives all the citizens under her watch a sense of belonging and adequate security, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political persuasions,’’ the statement said.