Fresh facts emerged on Thursday about the allegation by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party gave some pastors N6bn to campaign against the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the 2015 presidential election.
A Borno State-based Pastor, Kallamu
Dikwa, said the money allegedly given to the pastors by the Presidency
was N7bn and not N6bn as alleged by Amaechi, who doubled as the
Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation.cut...
Amaechi had alleged that some unnamed leaders of the PDP paid N6bn to Christian clerics to campaign against the APC.
But reacting to the Northern States
Christian Elders Forum, who challenged Amaechi to name those pastors
involved in the bribery scandal, Dikwa told journalists in Kaduna on
Thursday that the said money was channelled through the leadership of
the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Dikwa, who is the Executive Director of
the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, said CAN got the said money
(N7bn) on January 26, 2015 and disbursed N3m each to state Chairmen of
the CAN across the country.
He was also an Associate Pastor with the
E. Y. N. Church (Enklesiyan Yan’uwan A Nijeriya) Farm Centre, Dikwa
Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, under Rev. Emmanuel Kwajihe between
2002-2004.
But the Presidency and CAN had denied
this allegation. While the Presidency said that Dikwa was an agent of
the APC, the General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Ayake, maintained that
the allegation was total falsehood.
However, Dikwa, said the CAN had started
threatening Christians in the state (Borno) that they must re-elect
President Jonathan in the rescheduled election.
He said, “It was N7bn that was given to
the CAN leadership by President Goodluck Jonathan. They (CAN) later
disbursed N3m each to the state chairmen of the CAN. The money was
handed over to the CAN leadership on 26th January, 2014.
“This is what I know. One of the CAN
officials from Abuja told me that they have collected the money. The
corruption in CAN is terrible. They are corrupting the body of Christ
because of money.
“They are now threatening Christians in
Borno State that they will deal with anybody who refused to vote for
Jonathan. And the CAN officials are now campaigning that if Buhari
emerges President he will islamise Nigeria; and that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
will resign soon after Buhari wins to give way for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
to emerge Vice President.
“And at the same time, CAN is
threatening Christians in Borno if they didn’t vote for Jonathan. And
the same CAN continues to blackmail Prof. Yemi Osinbajo that Islamic
world has bought Osinbajo with millions of dollars, all this is because
of the N7bn bribery that they have received from Jonathan.”
But Ayake in a telephone interview with
one of our correspondents in Ilorin on Thursday said, “At no time did
CAN collect money from Jonathan to preach against Buhari or to give the
impression that Buhari wants to islamise Nigeria.”
Ayake added, “I do not think I will
lower ourselves, our integrity and our positions to somebody who is
fake, who called himself a pastor when he is not; a liar, somebody who
does not even know his left from his right. I know the person, if I want
to comment, I will be lowering myself and my integrity to such a thing.
Please that person is not what he claims to be.
“What he said is a lie. It did not happen. It will not happen.
“He is a liar. We should not waste our
time on him. He is not a pastor. He has never been a pastor. He is just a
liar. If I should reply, I would be lowering myself. What he said is
between him and his God. Let him know that when this life is over, we
are going to stand before God to give an account of what we said or did
in this life. Let him continue with his lies, God will catch up with him
one day.”
Also, the Presidency said that Dikwa was making this allegation because he belonged to the APC.
It said that was the reason he would continue to say anything that could advance the interest of his political party.
The Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in an interview with
one of our correspondents.
Abati said, “Is the pastor a member of
the APC? He probably belongs to the APC. Since he is a member of the
APC, he will echo, modify and amplify whatever Amaechi said.
“I think before you do anything, you should establish the political affiliation of that pastor.
“He must be a member of the APC. Otherwise, he will face his primary responsibility as a pastor.
“I have no doubt that the man is a
member of the APC. As a member of the APC, he will say whatever he feels
will advance the course of his party.”
SOURCE : PUNCH
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