Christians Betrayed, Insulted Me As CAN President- Oritsejafor

Past presi­dent of the Christian As­sociation of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yes­terday, opened up on how he weathered the storm as leader of the apex Christian body in the country.

He said Christians plot­ted against him and equally insulted him even when he put his life on the line for them.

Oritsejafor said he took over the mantle of lead­ership at the most trying times in the country.

“We came in a period the challenges of the church had reached a point that lots of Christians in Nigeria had been displaced from their home and churches.

“Some pastors, par­ticularly, in northern Ni­geria were closing their churches. Lots of Nigeri­ans had become internally displaced persons in their homes,” he said.

He called on Nigerians, particularly the Christian faithful, to stand behind the new president of CAN, Pastor Samson Ayokunle and his team in order to withstand the challenges ahead.

“As, we are entering a more challenging period in the history of our nation. Unfortunately, it is also the time that we seem to view CAN with some contempt.

“Yes, CAN may have her challenges, but, for now, we have no other body that unites us. So, we must re­vere the structure and lead­ership. Let us continue to pray for our land and lead­ers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the new CAN president, Ayokunle, said CAN would not fail to speak against the excesses of political leadership, even when the situation is not fa­vourable for the truth.

Ayokunle, who spoke on various issues, shortly after his inauguration in Abuja, called on government to take decisive step against those religious fanatics, who are attacking Chris­tians, describing them as a threat to the unity of Nige­ria.

Ayokunle, who chron­icled the recent attacks on Christians across the country called on the gov­ernment to take decisive action to stem the occur­rences because it is their constitutional duty to do so.

The CAN president also called on past leadership of the body and churches to forgive each other and work for unity of one body, adding that the support of all and sundry is imperative for the survival of the new leadership.

Credit: Sun

False Prophecy To Jonathan: Oritsejafor Replies Pastor Okotie

The statement by Pastor Chris Okotie that CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor deceived Goodluck Jonathan with false prophecy that made him contest and lost the 2015 election has been trashed.

Responding on behalf of Oritsejafor, the Director of National Issues in CAN, Sunny Oibe, in a chat with Punch, said people should ignore Okotie, that he is looking for popularity through Oritsejafor.

His words: “Well, it is laughable if Chris Okotie is making this spurious allegation…We will not like to take issues with Okotie…because doing that will amount to making him popular. He is looking for popularity which he doesn’t have through Pastor Ayo and he is not going to get it.

“Okotie knows exactly that what he is saying is not true. Nigerians should know that Pastor Oritsejafor is not among those pastors that make prophecies. He does not make prophecy and never said anything during the campaigns.

Why would he bring politics into the pulpit?

“This is where we Christians are getting it wrong. They are the ones misleading Nigerians. Oritsejafor never made any prophecy concerning Jonathan and the 2015 presidential election. I challenged any Nigerian with evidence to come forward.”

Oritsejafor Deceived Jonathan With False Election Prophecy- Okotie

The General Overseer of Household of God Church, Rev. Chris Okotie, on Sunday said that were it not Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s “false” prophecy to former President Goodluck Jonathan, the latter (Jonathan) would not have contested the 2015 presidential election.

He said that the former President had initially made up his mind not to vie for the election, but stated that Oritsejafor “deceived” him with tales of victory as prophesied unto him by God.

Oritsejafor is the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

Okotie, who said this while delivering a sermon in his church on Sunday in Lagos, said, “Pastor Oritsejafor deceived Jonathan with a false prophecy from God that he (Jonathan) would win the election convincingly.”

He said, “The man (Jonathan) became convinced to contest after Oritsejafor had told him, using CAN’s name, that God had ordained him the winner of the 2015 presidential election.”

Credit: Punch

Allegations of Bribery Against CAN Deepens

The Ayo Oritsejafor led Christians Association of Nigeria has tarnished the image of  all Christians in Nigeria. This is according to a Borno State-based pastor and Executive Director of the Voice of Northern Christians, Reverend Kallamu Musa-Dikwar. He accused the Christians Association of Nigeria of collecting N7bn bribe from President Goodluck Jonathan to campaign against the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate in the March 28 election. he insists that the CAN collected the said amount and have been importing  guns to enable the PDP cause chaos. A shameful thing for a religious body. He added That Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka is the only honest and bold christian clergy man who was willing to speak out.

“CAN has become a mafia. the Shepherd has become the sheep and the center could not hold any longer. CAN is in the news for crimes like arm racketeering and openly campaigning for politicians.
The gangster leadership of bling bling has drowned the church. Oritsjafor should resign to save his soul from eternal damnation. Thank God for Ejike mbaka’s boldness and incorruptibility”

Musa-Dikwar on Monday in Kaduna insisted that the Jonathan government gave CAN N7bn to campaign against the APC candidate, Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

He however said that neither Jonathan nor Buhari was fit to govern the country.

The cleric said CAN collected N7bn from Jonathan and not N6bn as alleged by the Rivers State governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation.

Amaechi had alleged that unnamed leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party paid N6bn to Christian clerics to campaign against the APC. The allegation has caused uproar among the Christian community, with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and the Northern State Christian Elders Forum asking Amaechi to name the church leaders who collected the N6bn.

He said the Christians body got N7bn on January 26, 2015 and disbursed N3m each to state chairmen of the CAN across the country.

Primate Elijah Ayodele Says Oyedepo, Oritsejafor & Adeboye Have Disappointed God

Founder and spiritual leader of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has said in an interview with Yes! Magazine, that the level of religious contempt by notable religious leaders such as Pastor Ayo Oritesejafor, Pastor E.A Adeboye and Bishop David Oyedepo was unprecedented.

He said, “Oyedepo, Oritsejafor and Adeboye have disappointed God. They see the truth but they are not saying it. I will be frank. These frontline pastors; Adeboye, Oyedepo, name them, PFN, CAN have they not disappointed the Nigerian masses now? Jonathan goes to Adeboye, what’s the other man’s name? Politicians have corrupted all church leaders. They are not saying the truth. Adeboye, Oyedepo and other big pastors are not saying the truth. We know that the economy is bad, things are not going right but they should have the courage to face them. For the first time let us be bold enough to tell them “What you are doing is bad”. Tell them, “change from bad to good”.

Credit: Daily Post

Jonathan Dumps Oritsejafor for Oyedepo, Enenche & Others

Ahead of the 2015 presidential polls, Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan has dumped his erstwhile close friend and business associate , Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor in favor of the President of Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo, as the arrow head of support for his re-election battle among Nigerian Christians.

Bishop Oyedepo was among the prominent pastors who attended a meeting last month in Abuja with President Jonathan where the clerics vowed to give the president the votes of the Nigerian Christian Community.In the said meeting, efforts of some pastors from the war ravaged zones of the north to draw the attention of the President to the state of insecurity in the north was overshadowed by the fatherly voice of Bishop Oyedepo, who asked those present to concentrate on the forthcoming polls.

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Jonathan Summons Christian Leaders To Abuja

Facing the prospects of a resounding loss of the presidency in three weeks, President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend summoned Christian leaders to a meeting on Monday at the National Ecumenical Centre in Abuja.

At the event, which comes after several of the Christian leaders publicly turned their backs on his campaign, sources say Jonathan will ask them what he can do differently to earn their support.

A series of reports from the field reportedly shows that Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to be making progress with a lot of religious leaders, especially in the North.

Several of the delegates that have arrived in Abuja said they were invited by a variety of bodies, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which is headed by President Jonathan’s friend, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

Read More: saharareporters.com

 

I Know Nothing About $9.3m; My Jet Is Not A Gift From Jonathan – Oritsejafor

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, ( CAN) Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has finally spoken on the controversial $9.3m smuggled into South Africa by two Nigerians and an Israeli, using his private jet.

He broke his silence during the National Executive Council meeting of CAN on Monday at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

The CAN leader said he had kept quiet all the while, because he needed to explain his position to the church which is his primary constituency.

Oritsejafor stated that he would “not do anything to tarnish the image of Jesus Christ or compromise the divine standard of the church”.

Addressing the body, he said: “As you are all aware, the media has been awash in the past few days about an unfortunate incident involving the movement of funds from Nigeria to South Africa. In the unfortunate news reports, attempts have been made to link me directly with the transaction.