The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has said no agreement has been reached with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on the Muslim-Muslim ticket he is riding on.
The ticket has former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as Tinubu’s running mate.
Reports had stated that CAN had met with Tinubu and that the issue had been resolved
However, the religious body, in a statement by its President, Daniel Okoh, said its position against the ticket had not changed.
The statement read: “The attention of the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has been drawn to a media report titled, ‘How Tinubu met, resolved Muslim-Muslim ticket with CAN’, which claimed that the apex Christian body has changed its position regarding the same-faith ticket.
“To say the least, the story is ridiculous, malicious, untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety by all reasonable members of the society.
“For the records, CAN took a position against the same-faith ticket imbroglio under the leadership of Rev. Dr Samson Ayokunle, its immediate past national president, and as a matter of fact, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel Okoh, stands on that same position.”
Meanwhile, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has thrown his weight behind CAN’s rejection of the ticket.
He said, “The position taken by CAN is not only CAN’s position, it is not only the position of notable Christian leaders like Babachir David Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and many others who have spoken againts it, it is also God’s position because we serve the God of justice, our God is righteous, our God is the author of diversity, and He wants as diverse as we are to come together.
“So, CAN’s position, as much as it is a righteous position, it is the position of all of us who love righteousness, justice, diversity and are working to harness it for the advancement of this country.”