‘No supervisory board for CAN’

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said there is no supervisory board for the Christian body in Nigeria as claimed by some people.

The Director of National Issues and Mobilization of CAN, Bishop Stephen T.V. Adegbite, in Abuja on Wednesday said that media report where two Para-Church organisations, NCEF and one Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC) made some frivolous and misleading allegations against the leadership of CAN, especially the President of CAN is unfortunate.

“Both organisations are aliens to the Constitution of CAN. These people are false-alarmists who are pursuing selfish interests, appealing to public sentiment in order to mislead them against a credible leader and organization. We are well aware that angels of Satan do camouflage as angels of light.

“CAN is not operating under their supervision and their selfish and false submissions on the report of the panel set up by National Executive Committee (NEC) of CAN on Prof. Joseph Otubu’s false allegations does not require their opinion to be valid.

“It is true that the Vice President, Prof. Otubu, petitioned the NEC of CAN over some grave allegations he levelled against his Principal, the CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, but the same NEC had set up a Special Committee to look into the petition as demanded by the petitioner,” Adegbite said.

He said the committee invited all individuals involved to appear with their evidences to substantiate their allegations and defences with available documentary evidences and that the only person connected to the assignment who did not appear throughout the committee sessions, was Prof. Otubu, the petitioner.

“Unfortunately, he refused to contact the committee despite all the invitations in form of telephone calls, email and written letters sent by courier to him and signed for as received by his Personal Assistant.

“The panel had investigated all the allegations of Otubu and they were found to be frivolous, baseless, misleading and unfounded. NEC has adopted the Report with a view of implementing its recommendations.

“The petitioner, Prof Otubu who claimed he was not around during the panel’s sittings of over two months in his rebuttal of the panel’s finding (because he was indicted) suddenly was around immediately after the panel’s report was out,” he added.

He therefore urged the media to stop being used by some para-church organisations who are alien to CAN’s Constitution but are out for mischief.

He said the CAN NEC at its last meeting in October passed a vote of confidence on its President, Dr. Ayokunle and urged him to “stomach the insults of Prof. Otubu and his group.”