Date: 2015-03-11

Christian political officeholders in Kwara State on Tuesday alleged that some "elements" in the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) are out to discredit the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Mohammadu Buhari.

The group under the aegis of Conference of Christians in Government of Kwara State said the CAN elements led by the CAN Chairman, Professor Babatunde Opoola and one Dr. Olusola Ajolore organised "a dubious seminar" on Boko Haram insurgency in the north east and used the occasion to discredit the person of General Buhari.

The conference in a communique issued at the end of its meeting chaired by the Deputy Governor, Elder Peter Kishira called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of "all individuals that are hiding under the guise of religion to cause disaffection in the polity".

Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Bode Olayemi read the communique signed by the Conference Chairman and Secretary, Engr. Christopher Ayeni and Ayotunde Oyeniyi.

The conference which described the alleged action of the individual as "absolutely unacceptable" and one that could encourage violence added that the seminar must have been sponsored from N7billion allegedly received from the presidency.

The communique read in part: "That the destabilizing agents of a section of Kwara CAN deliberately deceived Christian faithful by calling on them to attend a prayer session at St. Barnabas Cathedral which turned out to be an obnoxious theatre for fanning embers of discord among peace loving people of Kwara State.

"The undesirable elements were obviously sponsored by an opposing party to the popular APC government of Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed to foment trouble, create confusion and truncate our nascent democracy.

"Rather than concentrate on prayers for peaceful election, in March and April, 2015, this Ajolore-led group mustered Nigeria's financial resources to sponsor the seminar by engaging canvassers to go into the electoral wards of Kwara State to the grassroots level and deliberately discredit and misinform the public about the APC presidential candidate, General Mohammed Buhari.

"Is Kwara CAN now a political party or an arm of a political party? Where did Kwara CAN raise funds to go into political canvassing at the grassroots instead of missionary works? Definitely this is from the N7bn presidency largesse. Are we to use Nigerian resources to destroy our fellow brothers and sisters?"

Olayemi said the conference was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the "obnoxious dubious seminar is a calculated attempt by a handful of misguided, timid and demon-minded elements hiding under the cover of a section of CAN to discredit and stain the good marks" of Governor Ahmed.

It therefore condemned the alleged activities of the CAN leadership and urged the state government to alert security agencies "to put a stop, immediately, to the circulation and showing of the content of this obnoxious seminar".

When contacted, the CAN Chairman, Professor Opoola denied the allegation, saying, "I have not seen the press release and there was no seminar held to disrupt the peace and harmony in the state or discredit General Buhari. There was nothing like that. I won't say more than that".