Chairman, Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC), David Kadzia, has asked the national president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr. Supo Ayokunle, to quit over alleged plans to sell the association to a political party.
This came barely three weeks after the vice president, Prof. Joseph Otubu, had written a petition against the president over fraud.In a statement issued yesterday in Yola by Kadzia, after eight hours closed-door meeting with CAN chairmen of the 19 northern states, the group said that the allegations of fraud and secret romance with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) affected the integrity of the association.
According to the statement, instead of the president to defend the weighty allegations of fraud against him by his deputy, he formed a committee in CAN to sweep the matter under the carpet.
The group claimed to have evidence of Ayokunle defrauding the association of over N2.8 billion during his tenure through collection of rents from the association’s guest house, parking space hired by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), office spaces, conference hall and other CAN property.
It alleged that the president’s recent secret meetings with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, which leaked to other members of the association, was designed by APC to recruit CAN leaders for vote-buying.
Part of the statement read: “We hereby order the CAN president to quit office in the interest of peace and integrity of the association. His plan to use CAN to help APC win 2019 general elections is a huge joke. Those having secret meeting with him are not serious politicians and they are worsening their chances at the poll.
“CAN cannot be turned to a political wing of any political party. What APC leaders don’t know is that we, Christians in Nigeria, have lost confidence in Osibanjo, the SGF and other Christians serving in the present administration. We can only support those that can protect Nigerians.” The group asked Ayokunle to come out clean and defend the official vehicles purchase scandal that involves over N1.8 billion raised in the petition of his deputy.
It pointed out that the recent confirmation by the National Christians Elders Forum (NCEF) that “Ayokunle is a disgrace to Christians in the country” exonerated the group on the corruption activities in CAN under the leadership of Ayokunle.The statement insisted that the group would not keep quiet until sanity is restored at CAN headquarters.
-GUARDIAN-
