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.
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.”
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
