A Christian cleric, Prophet Ugochukwu Ugokwe Prince, has broken silence on why him and other religious leaders attended the unveiling of ex-Borno Governor Kashmir Shettima as the Vice Presidential running mate of Bola Tinubu on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 election.
Recall that there were knocks on the Christian clerics who were seen at the venue of the unveiling ceremony in Abuja, as they allegedly said they represented the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
CAN had been at the forefront of kicking against the same faith presidential ticket which the APC is flying ahead of the election.
But Prophet Ugokwe who is the Senior Pastor, Yoke Breakers Prophetic Ministry, Abuja and Founder, Muslims and Christian Love Foundation during a press conference, said they never represented CAN at the program.
He said contrary to media report, they were not procured to attend the event but did that based on their sincere and genuine desire to express their goodwill and lend their support to the former Borno State Governor.
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His text reads: “For several days now, we have watched with dismay the unwarranted controversy, insults on our persons, the abuse and the awful threats against our lives precipitated against our simple, patriotic attendance of an event.
“Our organisation, Muslims and Christians Love Foundation is a religious organisation with the objective of ensuring that a religious crisis does not precipitate within the Nigerian nation by any group or association.
“Where that is about to occur, our association has a divine responsibility either motivated or unmotivated to intervene. It is in the light of this that we found our attendance to the APC event necessary and patriotic, to this we owe our association and the nation a responsibility.
“Like hundreds of others, on the 20th of July, we were at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, to attend the formal unveiling of Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Our decision to attend this event was neither procured nor compelled. Rather, we chose, freely, to attend due to our sincere and genuine desire to express our goodwill and lend our support to a man whose tenure as the Governor of Borno State heralded unprecedented support for the Christian faith in the region at the time.
“We were therefore appalled to see our intentions misrepresented and our integrity called into question. For the avoidance of doubt, we have never attempted to portray ourselves as representatives of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“We went as clergymen and pastors called by God to serve in His vineyard and bring His word to our communities. This is a calling we have devoted ourselves to for several years. If anyone wishes to verify the truthfulness of this claim and maybe even join our respective ministries, we welcome you to visit our ministries.
“We thank those who have stood with us through this shocking experience. We will continue to pray for a peaceful and united Nigeria before, during, and after the 2023 General Elections.”
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