A Christian group, under the umbrella of the Christ’s Redeemers’ Union (CRU) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of trying to install one of his loyalists as the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
CRU claims that Buhari, a muslim wants to replace the present president of the religious body, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, whose tenure expires in July 2016, with a candidate ‘ordained’ by the All Progressives Congress (APC) so as to avoid any opposition to his government from the Christian community.
The national director of CRU, Dr Abednego Olusola, in a statement on Sunday, February 21, stated that: “A top official in the Presidency, who is spearheading the campaign, has started deploying resources for logistics towards ensuring the emergence of a church leader in the northern part of the country believed to be friendly with Buhari.
“The government officials funding some religious leaders in the North have been recruited as foot soldiers to perfect the strategy. There is tension now in CAN and the action of the Presidency has polarised the association along North-South dichotomy, as northern religious members are being lobbied to support the plot.”
Reacting to the allegation, special adviser to President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said the President had never been interested in the internal affairs of any organisation, not even CAN.
He said: “Buhari does not interfere in the internal affairs of any organisation.
“It means that some Nigerians don’t know their President. Your president, Muhammadu Buhari, does not interfere in things like that; so, they need to know the person who is their president.
“The people making the allegation can’t insist that they are correct because that is the man for you and Buhari doesn’t interfere in anything. If he doesn’t interfere in state elections where his own party, the APC, is having candidates, how will he interfere in CAN elections? They don’t know their president.”
