Northern CAN illegal, says Kaduna CAN

By Tony Akowe, Kaduna 

The crisis between the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and its 19 northern states chapter deepened yesterday as the Kaduna chapter said its northern counterpart is illegal and unconstitutional.

Chairman of the Kaduna chapter, Rev. Sam Kujiyat, said in Kaduna that the CAN constitution only recognises state chapters of the association, alleging that the chapter in the 19 northern states and the FCT has, over the years, worked against the interest of state chapters.

Rev. Kujiyat, who stressed that the constitution of the body only recognised the six geo-political zones in the country, said the Kaduna CAN would soon send the northern chapter out of its premises on Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna.

He accused northern CAN of collaborating with the national secretariat of the body to make his election look illegal, saying this was one of the antics of the northern body to bring the state CAN down. 

According to Kujiyat, “the constitution of the national CAN recognises only six geo-political zones- South-South, Southeast, Southwest, North Central, Northeast and Northwest. There is no provision for northern states CAN or southern states CAN. 

“The northern states CAN has been staying with us for the past seven years and it has not been working for our interest. CAN Kaduna State chapter dissociates itself from the utterances, views and activities of the northern states CAN.

“Northern states CAN does not represent Kaduna State CAN. Constitutionally it is illegal to continue to harbour northern states CAN on our premises. It is also security unwise because right under our eyes they have worked against us for over seven years. 

“We once said that we would give them quit notice, but our spiritual fathers told us to calm down, and they stopped us. 

“We are just letting you know that constitutionally speaking, there are things that have happened that are unconstitutional. We have youths that are boiling, we are trying to calm them, but it can get to a certain limit that things may not work well.

“After my election as the Kaduna State CAN chairman, groups of northern states CAN were on the opposing side, they were with my opponents. They championed that cause with serious campaign, it was like saying that, let’s go and test our popularity. They believed that they were going to win, they were so sure. When the votes were finally counted, I emerged the winner. They didn’t congratulate me.

“They moved to Abuja to announce to the national CAN that the election was fraudulent, and from there, every move has been made not to swear me in. 

“It was a campaign promise made to them by the present CAN president that if he came on board, he would nullify the election, and of course last November 29, at a meeting in Abuja, I was there, I was described as an illegality by the current national president of CAN. I was refused every opportunity to speak. They also decided to dissolve the Kaduna State CAN.” 

The Public Relations Officer of the northern states CAN, Sunday Oibe, said the body is not illegal because it has been in existence since 1964. 

SOURCE: The Nation, 10 April 2012. http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/