MURIC defends ‘bishops’ at Shettima unveiling, says CAN ‘lied about clerics being fake’

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has criticised the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over its comments on the clerics who attended the unveiling of the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate.

On Wednesday, the APC unveiled Kashim Shettima, former Borno governor, as running mate to Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate.

Present at the ceremony were persons clad in clerical outfits, which CAN described as a “scene from a Nollywood movie”.

In a statement issued on Friday by Ishaq Akintola, director of the organisation, MURIC cited a report published by PM News, adding that the identities of the clerics were known, and that CAN was simply raising a “false alarm”.

“The identities of all the Christian clerics who attended the event have been revealed and none is fake. It is crystal clear from the above that CAN is not to be trusted. CAN disowns its own members who are not ordinary Christians but knowledgeable bishops and pastors. This shows that a caucus within the leadership of CAN has unleashed tyranny of the oligarchy on Christendom in Nigeria,” the statement reads.

“The fact that several bishops and pastors dared CAN by attending the unveiling of the APC running mate in spite of directives by the umbrella Christian body to the contrary is also symptomatic of the hypocrisy and ineffectiveness of CAN’s noise over the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“It is a toothless bulldog. CAN is long in rhetoric, short in facts. It also proves that serious-minded and knowledgeable Christians who can differentiate between right and wrong no longer follow CAN’s instructions.”

Akintola also quoted verses from the Bible, and accused CAN of trying to divide the country.

“The attendance of the unveiling of Tinubu’s running mate two days ago and the attempt by CAN to paint the Christian clerics who attended the event as fake is another attempt by Nigeria’s Christian leaders to divide the country, whip up anti-Muslim sentiments and promote anarchy,” he said.

“CAN has shot itself in the foot. It insists that no Christian should vote for Tinubu’s party but it forgot that at least a Christian cleric is the gubernatorial candidate in Benue State. CAN should permanently close this can of worms and never open it again.

“Whereas Paul says, ‘Do not lie to one another’ (Colossians 3:9-10), Christian leaders find it expedient to pour torrents of lies on their followers. CAN leaders willfully ignore the warning in Proverbs, ‘…He who breathes out lies will perish’ (Proverbs 19:9). Christian leaders are adept at crying wolf where there is none. They raise false alarm to cause confusion.”