The National Christian Elders’ Forum, NCEF, has reacted to the purported dissolution of the Forum by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.
NCEF described the dissolution of its forum as a nullity and urged Christians across the country to disregard the statement credited to the leadership of the CAN.
DAILY POST reports that CAN on Friday in a communiqué by the acting National Secretary of the Christian body, Joseph Daramola, and the Director, National Issues and Mobilization, Bishop STV Adegbite, announced dissolution of NCEF.
The communique read in part: “That CAN immediately dissolves the National Christian Elders’ Forum, NCEF, which was inaugurated on Thursday, January 15, 2015 by the powers conferred on the then CAN President. CAN NEC, by the same powers that inaugurated the forum, forthwith dissolves and dissociates completely from the NCEF in view of the incongruous and unacceptable operations manifested consistently by the group.”
But, reacting, NCEF in a statement titled: ‘Presumptuous Claim: CAN Dissolves NCEF’ and signed by the Forum’s Secretary, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel stated that CAN did not establish NCEF and therefore, has no authority to dissolve it.
The group noted that the actions of Dr. Samson Ayokunle, the CAN President, constituted stealth jihad and portrayed him as collaborator with Islamists.
The statement read: “NCEF was birthed by Christian Social Movement of Nigeria, CSMN. On Tuesday 30th December, 2014, three members of CSMN, Mr. Solomon Asemota, SAN, Col. Ken Emechebe (retd) and Pastor Bosun Emmanuel travelled to Warri to meet the former President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and informed him about the intention of CSMN to establish a body of Christian Elders to intervene for the Church.”
“The group also requested him to inaugurate the body to promote Church Unity. NCEF started working closely with CAN as a mediatory, advisory, reconciliatory and enlightening body in order to strengthen the Church.
“NCEF is currently focused on guiding Christians to establish a functional and effective political unity so that Christian votes will no longer be used against Christians. On Friday, November 30, NCEF held a very useful and promising meeting with new presidential candidates towards presenting a righteous president for the country in 2019. This is what is important to NCEF.
“The current action of CAN to discredit NCEF gives the impression of attempts to thwart the efforts of the Christian Elders at supporting Christian presidential candidates to arrive at consensus in order to harmonize Christian votes. Christians are called to note those who are protecting their interest and those who working against it.
“As NCEF has repeatedly stated, the actions of Dr. Samson Ayokunle, the CAN President, constitute stealth jihad and portrays him as collaborator with Islamists.
“Whose side is Dr. Ayokunle? This latest unwarranted manipulation of NEC to extract another fake resolution is targeted at ensuring Christians do not unite to build a formidable “third force” to challenge the two Muslim candidates. This pattern of frustrating NCEF’s efforts at strengthening Christianity to resist the Islamists is in the character of Rev. Dr. Ayokunle.
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