CAN ABOLISHES ELECTIONS, PICKS NEXT PRESIDENT WITHOUT POLITICKING, BITTERNESS

The Christian Association of Nigeria CAN has put an end to choosing it’s president through elections. The supreme body of Christians in Nigeria is installing a new succession pattern of rotational presidency amongst the constituents bodies in order to eschew politicking, rancour, money spending and, perhaps, bitterness that follows losing elections. This is courtesy of the leadership of His Eminence, Dr. Supo Ayokunle, whose tenure as CAN president expires July 2022.

In years gone by, becoming the president of CAN was characterized by politicking, media attacks, money spending and suspicion of candidates being bankrolled by governments and personalities outside CAN. But the new constitution of CAN ratified in Makurdi 2021 has created a situation where presidents would emerge without these.

Speaking to E-life, the Lagos and Kaduna States chairpersons of CAN clarify that there is no more election in CAN, but a rotational presidency.

BISHOP STEPHEN ADEGBITE

* At the last elections in 2019, votes counting by Bishop Stephen Adegbite.

According to Bishop Stephen Adegbite, Lagos chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, ‘the new constitution states that there shall be no elections again in CAN. CAN is made up of five bloks: the CSN (Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria), CCN (Christians Council of Nigeria) and the CPFN/PFN, OAIC and TEKAN/ECWA.

‘The first three have produced presidents in the past, while the last two have not. So, those who have not produced should take their turns now, and that is between the OAIC and TEKAN/ECWA blok.

Adegbite added that the OAIC blok has presented their candidate, who goes for screening by the electoral committee. We don’t have a situation where two people would come up and campaign, and there would be rancour and disagreements.

‘What we have now is ratification by congress so that there would be no rancour during transitions in CAN. At the national level of CAN, there will never be any bitterness because of elections. It is now a five-year term rather than six years of two terms. The current executive, led by Ayokunle, would handover over in June 2022.

JOSEPH HAYAB

Speaking on why OAIC blok is to produce the next president after the tenure of Ayokunle, the Kaduna State chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, Rev. Joseph Hayab, told E-life that the constitution stipulates that things should be done in the Alphabetical order.

Hayab said, ‘OAIC comes before TEKAN/ECWA. It used to be ECWA/TEKAN, but the TEKAN people insisted that they have more than 14 Churches in their fold, so their names should be the first, and that is why it was changed from ECWA/TEKAN to TEKAN/ECWA.

‘So with this, OAIC comes before TEKAN/ECWA. After the tenure of OAIC, TEKAN/ECWA takes over, and after them, other groups in CAN that have not produced leadership would also have the opportunity to do so.

* Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah and Rev. Joseph Hayap, CAN Chairman Kaduna State, members of the electoral college.

Hayab refuted the wild allegations that the TEKAN/ECWA was forced to step down for OAIC. ‘There is no problem whatsoever in the national Christian Association of Nigeria CAN. he said.

‘The TEKAN/ECWA blok was in all the meetings, and during the last session, we all stood up and applauded Supo Ayokunle for his leadership. It is the people outside CAN who want to start trouble by making wild suggestions and statements that could portray CAN as having problems.

‘This same people tried to cause trouble when Supo Ayokunle was to succeed Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. They were a creation of Pastor Ayo, which was a positive step by then. But gradually, some of them began to see themselves as patrons of CAN. There is no place in the constitution of CAN for that.

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‘Christians in Nigeria, Hayab added, ‘should congratulate Ayokunle for his brilliant leadership that has created a very smooth transition that eschews politicking and malice for the first time in the history of CAN.

‘One of the things Ayokunle said is that you don’t need to spend money or lobby anybody to become CAN president. Now, no one is spending a dime. All anybody needs to become CAN president is to be in good standing at home, your blok, and the committee here will screen the person.

‘If the person is found wanting anywhere, the committee will send back the name to the blok to produce another person. So, when we gather in June, the thoroughly screened person would be presented to the congress by the electoral committee, we ratify the person, and he resumes office immediately.

Conclusively, Hayab said ‘this is how to elect leaders in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria. Ayokunle has created an incredible legacy that Nigerians should emulate in our national politics.’