Abuja-based pastors and bishops under the aegis of Coalition of Pastors for Good Leaders have frowned at its description by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as “faceless one”.
Recall that the coalition had on Saturday, November 5, endorsed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election, Mr. Bola Tinubu, saying he has the right frame of mind to rule the country.
“It is with a deep sense of duty that we members of Nigerian Coalition of Pastors for Good Leadership decide this morning to make known our position on the coming national election, especially as it concerns the vexed issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket as adopted by the ruling APC.
“Our primary responsibility will be less arduous with a functional nation and a working system. It is in view of this that we have not only considered it a civil responsibility, but also a noble cause to support and promote the candidates that can best serve the interest of our nation toward realising her dreams.
“For a start, we are fully in support of the power shift to South after President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, would have ruled for eight years. This is for equity and fairness as well as in the spirit of the existing unwritten rule to have power rotate between North and South.
“We were left to choose between His Excellencies Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peter Gregory Obi, who are the frontline candidates from the South. After consideration of so many critical factors and wide consultation, we have decided to settle for the candidacy of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima,” the group said in a statement by its leader, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin.
Reacting to the endorsement, CAN said in a statement by Luminous Jannamike, spokesman for the CAN President, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh, opposed the endorsement saying the coalition of clerics is a faceless group adding that CAN stands on its earlier stance of “No to same-faith ticket.”
“The message is very simple and clear. We still stand on our earlier stance of ‘No to same-faith ticket.’ As far as we are concerned, they are a faceless group. We can’t really be seen joining issues with them. They are free to do what they want to do.
“We need to be conscious of the fact that people have right to congregate under any platform they want and say whatever they want. These people are not affiliated to CAN and we don’t even know them. They (Abuja pastors) are individuals who chose to endorse Tinubu. Good luck to them!
“Had it been that it was the Catholic Church, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria or any of CAN blocs that did this, the association will be in a position to give a response. The truth is we don’t even know them.
“You claimed they are appealing to the body but I am not sure they wrote the CAN president. Perhaps they merely made the appeal through the press,” CAN stated.
Irked by the “faceless” tag, the coalition said it would not join issues with CAN “because they are our fathers and body.”
Nevertheless, it appealed to the umbrella Christian organisation for be circumspect with its choice of words for “it is not what goes into us that defiles us but what comes out of us,” adding that “we are not faceless.”
Oguntimehin said many of his members who control many parishes are affiliated to CAN, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and Organisation of African Instituted Churches.
“Let me clear the air on CAN recent comment, tagging us faceless pastors. We are not. We are Christians, pastors and members of CAN. Some of our pastors are also members of PFN and Organisation of African Instituted Churches.
“I think we should be careful in our choice of words as men and women of God. Even the Bible told us that it is not what goes into us that defiles us but what comes out of us. We can’t say anything against them because they are our fathers and body. But I just want to appeal to them not to use such words against men of God. We are not faceless. This is my face.
“To further prove that these pastors are not faceless, I have a register of their names, churches, locations and even streets of their churches here with me as evidence. We have a nine-member executive committee in every state of the federation.
“In my own church, for instance, I have 750 members. Others have mega centres with about 1,000 to 2,000 members spread across Nigerians. This is because our coalition deals with grassroots pastors who have personal connections with their followers. I don’t think it is out of place if these pastors and their members all over the country made up their minds to vote for APC candidates.
“In that town hall you attended that day, you have seen the 630 pastors in attendance. These pastors you saw were heads of several churches. Some of them are general overseers that have about five to 10 parishes under them.
“When it comes to politics, we have our rights to support a candidate and participate in elections. That is the position we took on Saturday,” he said.
