CAN Election: Northern Christians Ask Oritsejafor To Shift Polls.

The Christian Association of Nigeria in the Northern States and Abuja on Tuesday asked outgoing President of the association, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor to shift all plans to conduct any election that will usher in new executive of the CAN for now.

The election into the new executive of the national CAN is slated for tomorrow (Wednesday) after the mandatory second tenure of the  President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and his Vice, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, had expired.

The association with five bloc, comprises Christian Council of Nigeria, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the aforementioned Organisation of African Instituted Churches, and the Evangelical Fellowship of West Africa had been embroiled in series of crises of recent.

The Northern CAN said shifting the proposed election would not only unite the body, but brings out the national CAN stronger.

According to the association, it is necessary to shift the poll  so as to allow for genuine reconciliation and resolution of crisis   among all the blocs  that form the CAN.

The Northern CAN, therefore, urged the  outgoing President ensure that  the crisis in ECWA/TEKAN bloc  of CAN, amongst  others  were  resolved before any election could hold, noting that it was unfortunate that they(body of Christ) that were saddled with the responsibility of reconciling others "cannot reconcile ourselves."

Suspending the poll, according to the Public Relations Officer of the Northern CAN, Reverend John Hayab, who spoke to our correspondent in Kaduna, will bring out a more united body for  Christians that can  speak and act in one voice in the country.

Rev. Hayab, who noted that the need for  suspension of election of the national body was part of the resolution of the association meeting, however, noted that failure to adhered  to the call would further decapitate the CAN as a body.

According to him, it is better to shift the election, conduct it another day, than to have a fragmented CAN in the country.

He said it was better to have  a new CAN without crisis  than one whose leadership would be embroiled  in crisis.

The spokesman said:"CAN northern state is advising outgoing President of the association and Christians to suspend CAN election until the issue(s) that are on are resolve.

"We have resolved in our meeting of yesterday(Monday) to advise them not to continue with the election.

"Our concern is that if we don't resolve these issues, the new leadership, will have the challenges of leading a united Christians in the country.

"One of the issues is that of the ECWA/TEKAN where they could not present their own candidate;  the Catholic has written a letter that unless the election is properly done, it will pull out of the CAN.

"There are also some under-current issues which we know, if left unresolved  and the election continue, will only divide CAN and give room for other splinter group."

The spokesman further called for the unity among the body of Christ in the country, noting that "if there is a time churches in Nigeria need to be united, this is the time."

According to him, the church can not achieve the desired unity with rancorous voices as such the national body should put their houses in order for the unity of Christians.

"Election does not take hours, weeks or months but first, reconciliation is very important and that is the advise of the Northern CAN to the national CAN," he added.