The Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has referred to the election which saw Reverend Samson Ayokule becoming the new Oresident of the body at national level as ‘kangaroo election.’
The election was held last week to pick a successor for CAN’s erstwhile national president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. At the end of the election, Reverend Samson Ayokunle polled 57 votes to defeat his closest rival, Elder Joseph Otubu who polled 28 votes.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, Pastor Sunday Ibrahim, the secretary of the Kaduna State chapter of CAN, said: “They just go and do something, and they called it election. They should fear God because it was not the election, and we are not part of it and [we] distanced ourselves. We are calling on the national leadership in the name of God to call people again because it is not an election.
“Every association has rules and regulations and our own was not followed. No matter what you did, if it is not in line with [the] Constitution, it is not [an] election. The election will not stand because it has no foundation in truth and sincerity. It’s purely a selfish issue contrary to the rules guiding election of the association. From the beginning to the end, the rules of election in CAN were never applied.”
Pastor Sunday Ibrahim said that the association has an electoral college and permits all members to aspire to lead and also to vote.
“But in this case, there was a person that was vehemently denied the right to participate without justifiable reason. We are appealing to them to fear God and remember that we will all die and give account to Almighty God.” [myad]
