Bishops at Shettima’s unveiling show ordination’s proof

The alleged ‘fake’ clerics whose presence took the shine at the unveiling of the Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Monday, presented proof of their ministries and ordination certificates.

This is even as the clergymen cleared the air about their mission at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, the venue of Shettima’s presentation, saying they were neither sponsored by the ruling party nor the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Journalists assigned to cover Shettima’s unveiling as the running mate of the presidential flag bearer of the APC, Bola Tinubu, had watched in amusement after the clerics showed up at the venue.

The presence of the clergymen and women had been greeted by public outcry after their viral photos and videos from the event surfaced on the Internet, with some people deriding them as either mechanics or yam sellers, an allegation that the Tinubu Campaign Organisation has denied.

Earlier, the media had been awash with reports from religious bodies urging Christian leaders to boycott the unveiling to drive home the point of their grievances.

The outrage that trailed their controversial appearance forced the Christians Association of Nigeria and Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association to issue separate statements dissociating the bodies from the pastors and bishops.

In a Monday press conference in Abuja, the clerics presented certificates and documents that they described as proofs of their ordinations and churches.

While justifying the authenticity of churches, they identified them as Christian Revival Evangelical Mission Worldwide, owned by Apostle Godwin Livinus, Divine Prophetic End Time Gospel Faith in Kubwa, a shepherd 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 read the statement on behalf of others, disclosed that it was unfortunate they were portrayed as emissaries of CAN.

They dismissed claims of being sponsored to impersonate leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria at the event.

He said, “We never claimed to represent CAN or portray ourselves as their emissaries.”