A group of Christians in Nigeria, under the aegis of Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria, on Friday, August 19, 2016 raised an alarm saying that the candidate of TEKAN/ECWA, Jeremiah Gado, who was disqualified in the last election of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, was spearheading the purported plan to “split the body of Christ by breaking away.”
According to them, CAN has not divided and will not be divided just because Dr. Jeremiah Gado’s desperate plans to become President met a brick wall.
Another group , operating under the umbrella of Concern Christians of Nigeria, CCN, and Northern Nigerian Christians, NCN, led by Shehu Luka and Peter Luka, had last week announce their decision to pull out of CAN following the emergence of Dr. Supo Samson Ayokunle as CAN President.
Among other excuses, they argued that Gado was allegedly denied contesting for the Presidency of CAN during the association’s election held on June 14, 2016.
The president of PCYN, Evangelist Simon Timothy Nasso, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, August, 2016 said that they would have been quiet but for the sake of the ignorant public that may be confused, misinformed and convinced to believe.
He alleged that Gado was sponsoring the purported groups plotting to pull out of CAN, using money.
But Gado denied the allegation, saying he does not have money for to sponsor any individual or group to split CAN.
He said, “Let them provide the evidence, That is nonsense, it is nonsense. I don’t have the money. They have the money and they are the people sponsoring the PCYN. I cannot sponsor anybody now, I don’t have the money to sponsor anybody. It is nonsense, it’s stupid. It all shows you the kind of leadership that is being provided by CAN. They have been hiring surrogates to try and give good people a bad name. No! no! no! Let them give you the evidence.”
According to Nasso, Gado was disqualified from contesting the election following allegations that “he went round canvassing for financial support from political groups.”
The statement reads: “The attention of the Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria (PCYN) has been drawn to a press release by an unknown organisations named; Concern Christians of Nigeria and Northern Nigerian Christians led by some questionable characters Rev. Shehu Luka and Peter Luka which was widely reported by media houses on the concluded plan by Northern Christians to breakup from CAN with the news that registration of various groups with their Association has commenced in Abuja.
“If we must state in print, what disqualified Rev. Dr Gado from contesting the election besides his lack of experience and ignorance is the fact that he went round canvassing for financial support from political groups even when his fate as the candidate of the bloc was yet to be decided and has been using some persons with questionable characters to pursue his ambition.
“It is also unfortunate to note that the desperation has led Rev. Dr Jeremiah Gado to suing his bloc Leader, the out gone CAN President and the Registered Trustees of CAN in law court on the election, a strange practice in CAN. He has within the short time changed the lawyers handling the case and has also accused the Judge trying the case of bias just as he did to his church ECWA, his bloc TEKAN/ECWA, CAN Electoral College and CAN herself. Why all these desperate moves? Can he patiently wait for the result of his case in the court if he is truly pursuing justice?
“Now, he is sponsoring thugs to castigate the body of Christ in this most trying period for Christians in Nigeria. When will he hear the voice of God talking to him through the various individuals and institutions who have listened to him and advised him otherwise? Must Jesus come from heaven to tell him it is enough? What does he have in the CAN secretariat that life has not given him?
“The public may wish to know that in our last press conference, we told you that some questionable characters are behind Dr Gado’s desperation; hence they have no regard for the sanctity of the church, neither the church unity nor the peaceful coexistence of Christians.
“The groups in the press conference held on Sunday 14th August, 2016 gave their reasons for breakup to include;
• That their candidate Dr Jeremiah Gado was denied the to contest for the position of the CAN President during the June 14, 2016 National CAN Election.
• That the CAN did not help the Northern Christians during the crises in the North East.
• That the out gone leadership of CAN be investigated.
• The group claimed that after due consultation with Christian leaders, traditional rulers ,youths and women it has resolved to pull out of CAN.
Ordinarily, we would not have wasted time in responding to a group of persons whose questionable records are known to the public but for the sake of the ignorant public that may be confused, misinformed and made to believe them; we decided to set the records straight.
i. That we know as a fact that Reverend Dr Jeremiah Gado has gone off sense since his ambition to become the National President of CAN failed to materialize hence he has resolved to spending the unspent money he obtained during the campaign to become the National President of CAN. He also forgot that though men may fall for his money but God Almighty has the final say with regard to who becomes the President of CAN. It is surprising that Dr Gado is not contented that God has given him the rare privilege of becoming the President of ECWA despite his lack of experience and understanding of the Nigerian church leadership since his return abroad.
ii. That there is no group known to CAN and Nigerian Christians as Concern Christian of Nigeria and Northern Nigeria Christian. They are one and same group formation with same founder ( Rev. Dr Gado) same gospel (gospel of hate and must lead by force) and same evangelists ( men of questionable characters).
“For the avoidance of doubt, CAN is a registered umbrella body of Christian in Nigeria whose members are drawn from church groups and constituted into blocs forming the body of CAN.CAN as a body does not register individuals or organizations unless they come under one of the five blocs hence it is complete falsehood, misrepresentation and mischievous, the propaganda that a group in CAN has broken up.
We as an organization have stated the fact after the election when we addressed the press that CAN has not divided and will not be divided because Dr. Jeremiah Gado bid to become her President failed.
“We advised Dr Gado to refund quietly the balance of the millions he collected from the powers that be to prosecute his election instead of using it to foment trouble or else we report him to the appropriate bodies.
“As an organization, we monitored closely the just concluded election of CAN and know as a fact that no nominated candidate was denied the opportunity to contest. The elections of the current leadership of CAN followed due process and every bloc in CAN was given an opportunity to produce a candidate for the presidency as provided in the CAN Constitution.
“On the personalities who were used, that is Rev. Shehu Luka and Peter Luka. The characters of the two personalities are known to us. But first of all, the two personalities breaking from CAN did not tell the public what they are in CAN in the first place that they are now breaking up. These are personalities without any source of livelihood let alone to be leaders of Christians besides going from office to office begging for daily bread.
“The Shehu Luka was not long deported from the state of Israel after absconding to an unknown destination while on government paid pilgrimage to Israel. He left his family in Jos and illegally stayed for over 10 years in the state of Israel. He married another wife until he was apprehended and bundled back to Nigeria recently by security agents.
“Is that the character that is breaking from CAN and calling for the investigation of CAN leadership? Who ordained him as Reverend? No wonder, he did not know how the leadership of CAN under Pastor Oritsejafor has visited and supported Christians in Northern Nigeria.
“We challenge the two so called leaders of the Dr Jeremiah Gado founded groups to tell the press with evidence any official meeting of CAN that they have ever attended, be it at their Local Government, States, ‘Zonal or National levels.
“As an organization that claimed to be passionate about the plight of Northern Christians, they should also show evidence that beside their desperation for CAN leadership, they have visited the Northern East with any form of support even if it is groundnut. What have they said or done on the current challenges facing the church?
“The herdsmen attacks and killings, the new Boko Haram destruction order to the church, the attacks on christian communities and plans to seize our farmlands for grazing and so many issues! Why can’t he channel the resource towards that? He wants leadership to make money as he claimed those there are making it?
“The Nigerian Christians are grateful that those that matter in CAN have issued various press releases to disassociate themselves from the group and their evil call for a break up in CAN. All the States Chairmen of CAN in all the 19 states of the North were present at the election of Rev Dr Supo Ayokunle and have since issued individual and collective statements denying the knowledge of any of the groups let alone deciding for any break up from CAN.
“We will encourage the new CAN leadership not to be detracted by the few individuals who for selfish reasons will wish they are not there for the church. We will encourage the CAN leaders to forgive them for they know not what they are doing and pursue peace and reconciliation with all men.
“We are also happy that the immediate past CAN leadership have given the Northern Christian recognition and a voice as never before. We call on all Christians in Nigeria to rise in support and defense of the unity of the church as the times we are in are perilous. We know the enemies have taken the battle to our door steps by sponsoring discords among us but we must reassure the church that the gate of hell shall not prevail against the growth of Christianity.”
Evangelist Simon Timothy Nasso
President, Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria
