By Adeleye Kunle
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had delayed the unveiling of his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, for several weeks due to strong opposition from many Nigerians, particularly the Christian body, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to his choice of a fellow Muslim.
Tinubu, on the other hand, shrugged off the criticisms and eventually presented Shettima to the public in Abuja last Wednesday with a side attraction that has dominated discussions in the country.
The unveiling ceremony drew a large crowd, including scores of people dressed in the robes of Bishops and Priests posing as Clergymen whose identities were unknown. These clergymen filed into the venue moments after the program began, wearing what could be described as coats of many colors.
Photos and videos show them arriving at the venue (Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre), but with the exception of a few, they refused to take questions from journalists. One of them was even dressed in a Catholic Priest’s Cassock, which is only seen during a Mass held inside a church and not outside.
The presence of these alleged Christian clerics sparked social media reactions among Nigerians, which the Christian body described as “another Nollywood movie.”
“The people we saw at the unveiling of Shettima paraded as Bishops are people who did not have enough time to learn how to wear Bishop garments,” said Rev. Joseph John Hayab, CAN Kaduna State Chairman and Vice President of CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja). If you look closely at their photo, you will notice another Nollywood film.
Bishops at Shettima’s unveiling are genuine, according to MURIC.
However, defense of these Clergymen who have been disowned by the Christian body came from an unexpected source. In support of the alleged fake bishops, a Muslim group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), stated that all Christian clerics who attended the unveiling of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Vice Presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, in Abuja on Wednesday were genuine.
In response to CAN’s statement disavowing the Bishops, MURIC’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, accused the Christian leadership of avoiding reality and living in self-denial. Akintola claimed in a statement that despite CAN’s stance on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, many Christian Bishops attended Shettima’s unveiling.
“Based on the findings, it is now very clear that CAN leaders have distanced themselves from reality,” he said. How low can a religious organization sink? What does CAN stand to gain by misleading its supporters?”
MURIC also provided a list of those it believed were genuine clergymen who attended the APC event.
“Bishop Kamoru is a genuine cleric from Peace Chapel in Mararaba, Nasarawa State,” Akintola stated.
“A photograph of him conducting a wedding in a church has surfaced.” Some members have approached me to say they knew him personally. The APC Governorship candidate is Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia of the Gboko Catholic Diocese in Benue State.
“Pastor Prince Ugokwe also confirmed that he is a genuine pastor, not a forgery.” CAN cannot be trusted because it rejects genuine and knowledgeable bishops and pastors. This demonstrates that a caucus within CAN’s leadership has unleashed oligarchy-style tyranny on Christendom in Nigeria,” the statement continued.
Clergymen at Shettima’s unveiling are genuine, according to Tinubu’s camp.
The Tinubu Campaign Organisation also defended the clergymen, claiming that they were not impersonators. In a statement issued on Thursday, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Communication, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, described the viral images and videos of Christian clergy as unwarranted distractions.
He claimed that clergymen present at Sen. Kashim Shettima’s unveiling on Wednesday were “not big names in Christendom yet.”
Onanuga explained that the event was an open affair that allowed members of the public to attend, including clergymen and others who are now being vilified by opposition hirelings.
“We want to state unequivocally that those clergymen were not imposters, mechanics, or yam sellers, as the purveyors of hatred have led Nigerians to believe on social media.” They are not household names in Christendom yet, but they are gradually expanding their missions.
“They are Church leaders who sincerely believe that Nigerians must abandon politics of hatred and religious bigotry in favor of peace and nation building.” As a result, we condemn the hysterical twisting of these men and women in cassocks’ presence, as well as the false accusation leveled against our candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Shettima.”
He went on to say that the orchestrated social media sensation over the clergymen’s presence was unnecessary because it was “all calculated to detract from the huge success recorded at the unveiling.”
Bishop Ugo Ugokwe has confirmed his attendance.
In the midst of the controversy, one of the attendees, ‘Bishop Ugo Ugokwe,’ responded last night on Facebook. According to the findings, Ugokwe ran for the position of APC Deputy Youth Leader (South East) at the March 26 national convention.
The party member called for Christian-Muslim unity and stated that citizens will be able to vote for their preferred candidates in 2023.
“I’ve seen’many’ fake news stories about me and my foundation.” It’s fine. Anyone can write whatever they want in order to generate traffic. I knew the guy I let interview me was looking for fake news. He was desperate to see something, to discredit men of God,” he explained.
I was never present at Shettima’s inauguration – Apostle Ubi
Another Clergyman, Apostle Ekapong Ubi, who was listed as attending the event, denied it. In an interview with newsmen in Calabar on Thursday, he said he was surprised to see his name and cell phone number listed as 26 on the alleged list of clerics who attended the event.
“I have not traveled to Abuja in the last three months,” he says. Nobody contacted me, I was unaware, and I am not a member of the APC. As a result, they’ve decided to use it to collect money. “They will be judged by the living God whom I serve.”
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