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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The President and Founder, Living Stone Church Assembly, Jos, Plateau State, Bishop Jonas Katung, said nothern pentecostal bishops should be commended for meeting with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Bola Tinubu, as it provided the opportunity to draw attention to the plight of christians in the region.
Katung, who spoke with journalists on Friday, also said a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Babachir Lawal, was unqualified to condemn the meeting as he did not belong to the pentecostal fold.
The cleric said the recent comment made by the former SGF, where he described the respected church leaders as fake bishops was mischievous.
He questioned Lawal’s moral right to speak for Christians, nothing that the former SGF was unceremoniously relieved from the position for conduct that was not in line with Christian teachings.
The Bishop added that Lawal’s actions depicted how low he could go for his selfish ambition even if it meant smearing God’s anointed servants.
He said Lawal may have the right to disagree with the steps taken by the northern pentecostal Bishops, but he has no right to impugn their integrity or use uncouth language against them.
“While Babachir Lawal was busy chasing the vain things of this world, these men of God laboured over the years to raise congregation of royal priesthoods for the kingdom.
“Of course, Babachir Lawal, who does not belong to the pentecostal fold, is in no way qualified to assess who a bishop is or question their call. As church leaders and concerned citizens, we as a group of pentecostal bishops from northern Nigeria, the region which is most aggrieved by the same faith ticket decision of the APC, decided to engage with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the person who is at the center of the controversy, to express the concerns and fears of the Christian community, not only in northern Nigeria but the country as a whole and to give him an opportunity to explain his decision,” Katung said.
He said at the meeting with Tinubu , notable and respected church leaders including Archbishop John praise, the national vice president of Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and Rev Danjuma Byang all spoke to highlight the marginalisation and injustice meted to Christians in the North over the years, which has created mistrust in northern Christians over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC.
“As Archbishop John Praise aptly captures it at the interface ,this is in line with the biblical principle as contained in John 7:51 that no one should be condemned without first giving him a hearing, a principle that is also encapsulated in the constitution of our country,” he stressed .
According Katung, they emphasised at the meeting that the interface was not in any way an endorsement of the same faith ticket of the APC, adding that it is important to note that the church consist of members who belong to different political parties and not being partisan.
“Church must not portray a posture of antagonism to any political party without first having a full appreciation of their decisions and action,”he added.
Katung noted that efforts of the church leaders to bring to the attention of the APC flag bearer the plight and fears Christians of northern Nigeria ought to be commended by all people of good will, especially Christians.