Jonathan Gave CAN N7bn Not N6bn, Pastor Dikwa Alleges

The allegation that some pastors in the country collected the huge sum of money to campaign against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has taken another dimension, as Borno State-born Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa has confirmed the allegation to be true.
Director-general of Buhari Campaign Organisation and governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, had a week ago alleged that unnamed leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paid N6 billion to Christian clerics to campaign against the APC.

Governor Amaechi’s allegation caused uproar among Christian clerics, with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) asking Amaechi to name the church leaders who, he alleged, collected the N6 billion naira bribe.

But, Pastor Dikwa, who is the executive director of the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, confirmed the allegation, saying the figure was higher than Amaechi had alleged.

Pastor Dikwa said: “It was N7 billion that was given to CAN leadership by President Goodluck Jonathan and who later disbursed N3 million to the state chairmen of CAN. The money was handed over to CAN leadership on January 26, 2014.”

“Actually President Jonathan is using CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oristejafor, and it was the CAN president that collected the monies and shared N3 million to CAN executives in each state.

“And some Pentecostal Bishop including Bishop Oyedepo also collected his share. Actually, the money is not N6b, it is N7b. This is what i know. One of the CAN officials from Abuja told me that they have collected the money. The corruption in CAN is terrible. They are corrupting the body of Christ because of Money.

“They are now threatening Christians in Borno State that they will deal with anybody who refuse to vote for Jonathan. And the CAN officials are now campaigning that if Buhari emerges President he will Islamised Nigeria, and that Osibanjo collect monies from Islamic world, and the same Osibanjo will resign soon after Buhari wins to give way for Tinubu to emerged Vice President,” he added.

The fearless gave the names of Pastors that collected the money and shared with others including Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor CAN President, Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church and Pastor Bosun Emmanuel.

“Oyedepo threatened to open the gates of hell for those not vote for Jonathan! We wonder if Oyedepo has the key of the gate of hell in his breast pocket! That will be strange indeed! Just because of 7billion bribery Oyedepo ran-mad. And the same thing CAN threaten Christians in Borno if they didn’t vote for Jonathan. And same CAN continued to blackmail Prof. Osinbajo that Islamic world has bought Osinbajo with millions of dollars, all these is because of 7billion naira bribery that they have received from Jonathan,” said Pastor Musa Dikwa.

We Did Not Receive Such Money – Kaduna CAN
The Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has denied receiving any bribe of N3 million from Jonathan to campaign for him ahead of the forthcoming presidential election.

General Secretary, Dr Ibrahim Sunday, stated this when contacted through his mobile phone to respond to the allegation that each state chapter of CAN had received N3 million each from the alleged N7 billion said to have been given to clerics by President Jonathan.

“I have not seen our own, if there is such money. Maybe, our own is on the way; when it comes, I will call you to come and have part of it,” he said jokingly.

Presidency Keeps Mum
The presidency yesterday kept quiet on the allegation by Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa that it gave CAN the sum of N7 billion to campaign for the president ahead of the forthcoming presidential poll.

Efforts to reach presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, last night to react to this claim could not yield result as his mobile phone did not go through. E-mail and text messages sent to him by our correspondent, seeking his reaction, were also not replied.