Chairmen of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), along with the youth and women’s wings, have declared their unwavering support for Rev. Dr John Joseph Hayab’s leadership.
The declaration was made during a press conference held at the Christian Centre in Abuja, shortly after the CAN leaders returned from a pilgrimage to Israel.
The chairmen and other stakeholders present reaffirmed their confidence in Hayab’s leadership and condemned attempts by the previous executives to discredit the recent election that brought him to power.
Speaking on behalf of the state chairmen and secretaries, Apostle Barr. Shina Ibiyemi from the Kwara State chapter criticised the former leadership for extending their tenure beyond the stipulated period.
He demanded an unreserved apology from the former leaders to all Northern Christians, insisting that their actions were a betrayal of Christian principles.
Calling on them to hand over all 19-state and FCT Northern CAN properties to their newly elected officials, the chairmen emphasised that Hayab and his team were elected through a legitimate process and rejected allegations that those who elected them were “faceless.”
“We have tested the new leadership and know the type of leadership they will render. We cannot allow power-hungry individuals to hold Northern CAN hostage,” the chairmen declared.
Dr Daniel Musa Danladi, the Secretary of CAN Katsina State, described as “shameful” the claim that the new leadership was illegitimate.
He pointed out that the overwhelming majority of the state chairmen had participated in the election and challenged the media to verify the identities of those making contrary claims.
Speaking also at the event, Rev. Father Maurice Koli Hassan, the CAN Chairman of Jigawa State, accused the former leaders of trying to tarnish the image of the Christian body through misinformation.
He reiterated that Pam and Oibe had already exceeded their tenure by two years and nine months and had no moral justification to continue holding on to power.
“As stated earlier, all of us are chairmen of CAN from different states, along with our secretaries and youth leaders, including the women’s wing. We are here to reiterate, affirm, confirm, and endorse what we already agreed on the 25th of February.
“Together, across all Northern stakeholders, we gathered here and put our minds together to see how we can move Northern CAN forward, and we all elected Rev. Hayab along with his cabinet to lead us to the promised land.
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