22nd July, 2022
PRESS
RELEASE:
CAN LIED ABOUT BISHOPS
BEING FAKE – MURIC
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
yesterday described several bishops and pastors who attended the unveiling of the
vice presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress on
Wednesday, 20th July, 2022 at the Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre, Abuja
as fake clerics. But the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused CAN
leadership of distancing themselves from reality and living in self-denial.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday,
22nd July, 2022 by the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads:
“Despite the brouhaha over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Senator Bola
Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettimah, many bishops and pastors attended
the unveiling of the vice presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) on Wednesday, 20th July, 2022 at the Shehu Musa
Yaradua Centre, Abuja.
“In its own reaction, the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) yesterday described the bishops and pastors who attended the event
as fake clerics. The Vice President of CAN in the19
Northern States and Abuja who also doubles as chairman in Kaduna State, Rev.
Joseph John Hayab, said Tinubu was free to ‘hire mechanics and other artisans
and sew clerical garments for them.’
Relying on fact checks published by a media house which
confirmed the genuiness of the bishops and pastors, the Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused CAN leadership of distancing themselves from
reality and living in self-denial. (https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2022/07/21/fact-check-are-bishops-pastors-who-attended-tinubus-unveiling-of-shettima-fake/).
“Going by the findings
contained in this fact check, it is now very clear that leaders of CAN have
distanced themselves from reality. They are living both in self-denial and
self-delusion. They are pulling their followers by the nose. How low can a
religious body descend? What does CAN stand to gain by deceiving its followers?
“Investigations have
revealed the identities of many of the bishops whom Rev Hayab tagged ‘mechanics
and artisans’. Three of these were :
1. Bishop Kamoru who is from Lagos, a real
cleric from Peace Chapel, Mararaba. A picture has emerged where he was seen conducting
a wedding in the church and some of his members have come up to say that they
knew him personally.
2. Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, of Gkoko
Catholic Diocese, Benue State. was also among the clerics whom CAN called fake.
Father Alia is also the APC Governorship candidate in Benue.
3. Pastor Prince Ugokwe, also confirmed
that he is a real pastor and not fake.
“The identities of all the Christian clerics
who attended the event have been revealed and none is fake. It is crystal clear
from the above that CAN is not to be trusted. CAN disowns its own members who
are not ordinary Christians but knowledgeable bishops and pastors. This shows
that a caucus within the leadership of CAN has unleashed tyranny of the
oligarchy on Christendom in Nigeria.
“The fact that several bishops and pastors dared CAN by
attending the unveiling of the APC running mate in spite of directives by the
umbrella Christian body to the contrary is also symptomatic of the hypocrisy
and ineffectiveness of CAN’s noise over the Muslim-Muslim ticket. It is a
toothless bulldog. CAN is long in rhetorics, short in facts. It also proves that serious-minded
and knowledgeable Christians who can differentiate between right and wrong no
longer follow CAN’s instructions.
“It is noteworthy that the same leader of CAN in the North,
specifically Rev. Joseph John Hayab, was the one who tried to deceive Nigerians
by claiming that the man who attempted to bomb the Living Faith Church on Sunday, 2nd
February, 2020, was a Muslim whereas he was a Christian.
“Both the Nigerian Police, the accused himself and
his father later confirmed that the man’s name was Nathaniel Samuel, a
confirmed church-goer. This incident is verifiable. MURIC does not fabricate
stories. (https://guardian.ng/life/nigerians-react-to-the-news-of-nathaniel-samuels-attempted-suicide
bombing/#:~:text=NATHANIEL%20Samuel%2C%20the%20Christian%20young,to%20bomb%20a%20COCIN%20church;
https://dailypost.ng/2020/02/04/living-faith-church-bomber-nathaniel-samuel-not-first-christian-terrorist-in-nigeria-buharis-aide-onochie/; https://dailytrust.com/kaduna-bomb-scare-nathaniel-samuel-is-a-christian-not-muslim-suspects-father).
“The attendance of the unveiling of Tinubu’s
running mate two days ago and the attempt by CAN to paint the Christian clerics
who attended the event as fake is another attempt by Nigeria’s Christian
leaders to divide the country, whip up anti-Muslim sentiments and promote
anarchy. CAN has shot itself in the foot. It insists that no Christian should
vote for Tinubu’s party but it forgot that at least a Christian cleric is the
gubernatorial candidate in Benue State. CAN should permanently close this can
of worms and never open it again.
“Whereas Paul says, ‘Do not lie to one another’ (Colossians 3:9-10) Christian
leaders find it expedient to pour torrents of lies on their followers. CAN
leaders wilfully ignore the warning in Proverbs, ‘…He who breathes out lies
will perish’ (Proverbs 19:9). Christian leaders are adept at crying wolf where
there is none. They raise false alarm to cause confusion.
“It is good that this attempt has been debunked and
CAN leaders exposed as pathological liars. We call the attention of Western
embassies in Nigeria, particularly American and British embassies to these
monumental falsehoods. These are the same Christian leaders who are invited by
the American Congress to spread toxic information about Nigerian Muslims.
“We Nigerian Muslims are willing to peacefully
coexist with our Christian neighbours but we are wary of the strong propensity
of Christian leaders to tell lies from the pit of hell without blinking an
eyelid.
“There have been so many instances in the past and,
without doubt, many more to come so long as the West continues to give them
listening ears without crosschecking the details and without caring to hear
from the other side. The world is in grave danger if the champions of democracy
continues to promote lopsided hearing.” #CANLied #USEmbassyNote
#BritishEmbassyNote
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern,
(MURIC)
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