Bishops and other clerics, who attended the unveiling of a former Borno Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have said they were not there to represent the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Addressing journalists at a press conference yesterday in Abuja under the umbrella of Muslim-Christian Love Foundation, the clerics insisted that they never portrayed themselves as emissaries of CAN at the event.
Secretary of the group, Bishop Adams King, explained that their identification with Shettima and the APC was informed by his transformation of Borno State and even-handed management of social relations, including the protection of rights for all regardless of religion, whilst he was the Governor of the state.
“These contributions and sincere commitment to the constitutional obligation to uphold the rights of all without prejudice or bias qualify Senator Shettima as a brother and an ally in their quest to promote peaceful inter-faith relations in the country,” he said.
The clerics noted that Shettima took the mantle of the state at a difficult time marked by terror attacks and deadly insurgency, adding that his “mature, cautious, and decisive” management of the state’s affairs helped preserved the social fabric that held several communities together and reassured members of the Christian faith that the government remained committed to their freedoms and wellbeing.
The clerics, however, decried attacks and harassment they endured over their participation at the event, insisting that it was their democratic rights to make a political choice.
The clerics further noted that their churches had existed for several years, and they included “Christian Revival Evangelical Mission Worldwide of Apostle Godwin Livinus; the Divine Prophetic End Time Gospel Faith in Kubwa, Abuja of Bishop Dr. Emeka Theodore; and the Light House of all Nation Ministry of Bishop Emmanuel Sunday Jayeola.”
Attendance by the clerics at the unveiling of Shettima had sparked media controversy and insinuations that they were hired by the ruling party to impersonate ‘real’ Bishops and by extension, CAN in order to give credence to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
