Fresh crisis is brewing within the ranks of stakeholders in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over plots by its current president, Ayo Oritsejafor to amend the constitution of the body to pave way for actualisation of his third term ambition.
Already, some groups with the association have vowed to do everything to stall Oritsejafor’s plan to amend the constitution of the body to suit his third term ambition and “turn CAN into his personal estate.”
Already, our correspondent gathered that all the officials of the Association throughout the country are warming up to make sure that Oritsejafor’s third term bid fails during CAN’s meeting schedule to hold in Abuja on Tuesday.
“The current President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has commenced move to amend the constitution of the Christian body with aim to give room for third term tenure,” said a source close to CAN’s leadership at the weekend.
The source further told our correspondent that should the Third Term ambition fails to sail through, the flambouyant clergy is already working on Plan B, which to make himself a lifetime Chairman of board of trustees.
“Already, the CAN President and his team have drafted the constitution to create more blocks in CAN so that the third term bid for Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor can be realized or he becomes life Board Chairman of the CAN.
“If the agenda did not go through, they (CAN officials) would postpone the election till further notice. This is the antics of the CAN President who is scared of facing trial over his involvement in the Arms deal and other financial scandals and want to hide under CAN.
“He does not want to be investigated by President(Muhammadu) Buhari and wants to remain in CAN to get Christians’ support and sentiment; that is why he is pushing for constitutional amendment now knowing that his tenure will soon expire in less than five months.
“Already, there is clause in the current constitution that forbid any amendment until a Six month notice is given to all the blocs of CAN. So, there is no way we can review the constitution now,” the source who insisted on being anonymous told our correspondent.
Besides, New Mail learnt that many Christian leaders are already considering legal action should Pastor Oritsejafor insists or induce State representatives to vote in favour of his “illegal and unpopular constitutional amendment during Tuesday’s meeting.”
However, another CAN member told our correspondent that other option being considered by those opposed to Oritsejafor’s Third Term plot, is to mobilize like -mind Christian leaders to form a new Christian body that will stand for truth and righteousness.
Chairman of the Northern chapter of CAN, Professor Daniel Babaye admitted that a constitution amendment is being considered but declined knowledge of the third term clause in the plan.
“We had our northern CAN NEC meeting. We also know that the new draft constitution will recognize Northern and Southern CAN but for the third term? No, it would not even scale through,” he told Newsdiary Online in Kaduna.
It will be recalled that president Oritsejafor has serve CAN for two terms as the president of the Association.
Curiously, however, the presidency is being dragged into the CAN leadership brouhaha, with a group alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and President Muhammad Buhari are plotting to instal a northern president for the association.
A group of Christians under the umbrella of Christ Redeemers Union, claimed that the Presidency was interested in CAN election for some selfish reasons.
The National Director of CRU, Dr. Ebenezer Olusola Abednego, told journalists on Sunday in Abuja, that Christians would resist any plan by the Presidency to instal its candidate in CAN Presidency
“Our determination to resist Buhari and APC in determining who becomes President of CAN is a battle of No Retreat, No Surrender. 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 to Buhari.
“The government official funding some religious leaders in the North who 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 leaders are being lobbied to support the plot,” the group said.
Olusola explained that the APC government was desperate to ensure the emergence of its candidate in CAN who will lead the Nigerian Christians community.
“We have it on good authority that any leader being installed by the Presidency in CAN would avoid any virulent criticism of the Buhari government and this has informed their desperation to install a leadership that will not be critical.
“But we are vehemently opposed to government meddling into a purely religious affairs and should the Presidency succeed in installing an APC/Buhari stooge in CAN, we will pull out of CAN. We are ready for them, we have it on good authority that some Muslim leaders from the North are behind the plot. But by the power in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow and they won’t succeed,” the group said.
Oritsejafor, who has served CAN for two terms as the president was engulfed in the controversy that trailed the botched arms deal with a south African firm during the last year of the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan.
His closeness to the presidency at the time, coupled with the arms scandal makes him a likely candidate for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s investigations in the ongoing multi-billion dollar arms fraud probe.
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