Group gives CAN president 7-day ultimatum to resign

Samson Ayokunle, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has been advised to step down.

A group known as Some Concerned Christian Forum of Nigeria (SCFN) gave Ayokunle a seven-day ultimatum over the “direction the Church is aimlessly drifting towards”.

Prince Thompson, leader of the group, said while CAN was established to unite the body of Christ, the group rarely has a common voice these days.

He said CAN is fast drifting into something of a chortle device, a tool in the hands of politicians and champion for ethnic-sectarian bigots.

“In a bid to save whatsoever is left from the sinking ship, CCFN, a group of over 500 pastors in Nigeria, is urging Rev Ayokunle to walk away with dignity rather than seek re-election,” he said in a statement.

“CAN’s leadership under the current President, Reverend Supo Ayokunle, was highly anticipated to be reformists enough to return the association to its lost glory, for it to carry out a practically cleansing of CAN to free it of the dirt clinging to it from wallowing in the mire with swine.

“Our hope in Reverend Ayokunle being able to deliver CAN from the shackles of materialism have been dashed. Beyond having our hopes dashed we are being made despondent because his under his leadership the high places were not taken away but they were rather made higher. Truth is being sacrificed on individual private altars built to glorify self.

“On top of whatever we, at that time, accused the Pastor Oritsejafor leadership of, Reverend Ayokunle’s tenure has visited the affliction on Christendom a thousand folds.

“ A situation where President of CAN has become a tool in the hands of politicians and champion for ethnic-sectarian bigots in the country is a border that should never have been crossed but that is precisely where Christianity in Nigeria is now camped.

“The situation is so bad that there are so many allegations about the Reverend and his associates have been collecting money from politicians and keeping same for personal gains in exchange to speaking according to scripts given to them by these politicians. There is no doubt that by all standard he has failed in his responsibility as a father to all and has allowed selfish agenda to rob him of being a channel for the flow of God’s words.

“We have come to the realization that the violence to the body of Christ cannot be allowed to continue for longer lest there will be more atheist and agnostics than Christians by the time Reverend Ayokunle’s leadership of CAN completes its tenure.

“The Concerned Christian Forum of Nigeria therefore demands the immediate resignation of Reverend Supo Ayokunle as CAN President. Our demand entails that the entire CAN Executive resigns with the President to allow the association replace them with a leadership that will chart a course that conforms with the ideology upon which CAN was founded.”