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Miffed by the allegation that they are impostors, the Christian clerics who caused a stir at the unveiling of the Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Kashim Shettima, have exhibited their ordination certificates and proofs of their ministries.
The clerics maintained that although they graced the occasion without the consent of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) they were not fake preachers as being portrayed on social media.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Monday, the clerics presented documents and certificates that they described as proofs of their ordinations and churches.
While justifying the authenticity of their ownership of some churches in the nation’s capital, they claimed that the Christian Revival Evangelical Mission Worldwide was owned by Apostle Godwin Livinus; Divine Prophetic End Time Gospel Faith in Kubwa was owned by Bishop Dr. Emeka Theodore, and the Light House of all Nation Ministry, which has Bishop Emmanuel Sunday Jayeola as General Overseer among others.
The Christian leaders who gathered at the venue under the aegis of the Muslim-Christian Love Foundation stated they were at Shettima’s presentation to show solidarity.
Secretary of the group, Adams Abel King, who spoke on behalf of others, disclosed that it was unfortunate they were portrayed as emissaries of CAN when in actual sense they attended the event out of their personal volitions.
They equally dismissed claims of being sponsored to impersonate leaders of the apex Christian body in the land.
King said, “We never claimed to represent CAN or portray ourselves as their emissaries.”
According to him, they only showed at the event to identify with Shettima, who he claimed transformed Borno state and protected the residents, regardless of religion or bias. At the same time, he was the governor of the state.
“Although Senator Kashim Shettima took the mantle of the state at a difficult time marked by terror attacks and deadly insurgency, his mature, cautious, and decisive management of the state’s affairs helped preserved the social fabric that held several communities together and reassured members of the Christian faith that the government remained committed to their freedoms and wellbeing.”
“His (Shettima) rebuilding efforts targeted at the Christian community, including the reconstruction of churches affected by terrorist activities,” he said.
The emotional clerics condemned the harassment and near-assault they endured over their participation at the event, particularly on social media where “mob antics, driven by ignorance and malice, have strained social ties and caused divisiveness.”
