The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Northern states has denied rumours making the rounds that it has endorsed Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, for the 2023 presidential election.
Stories had made headlines on Monday that the Northern CAN had thrown its weight behind Bello and promised to mobilize its members to vote for him in the election proper.
But in debunking the stories, the Public Relations Officer of CAN in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, Chaplain Jechonia Gilbert, said the body does not involve itself in partisan politics and had never adopted any individual for an elective position in the history of elections in Nigeria and won’t do so in the 2023 elections.
The Northern CAN which made the clarification in a communiqué issued on Tuesday after its Extraordinary Meeting held at Excel Hotel in Abuja, said it had neither endorsed Bello nor any other candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
We want to clarify the recent report in some online papers that Northern CAN had adopted Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
“Northern CAN, from history, has never adopted any individual for any elective position in the history of elections in Nigeria and neither will it do so this time.
“Our duty to the Nigerian nation as a religious body is to pray for the peace of the nation and encourage our members to participate in every constitutional process towards nation-building.
“As an organisation with large followership and its members belonging to different political persuasions, it is unthinkable to assume that we have adopted a particular individual who is not even a flag bearer of any political party as our candidate for the 2023 presidential elections.
“We call on the public to disregard such reportage as it is never the thought or imagination of Northern CAN. There has never been any meeting of the leadership of Northern CAN where such a decision was ever taken.