The persistent attacks on the person of Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), by opposition politicians suggest a calculated campaign to discredit him.

Since none of these politicians intend to run for his job, one must ask what agenda they are pursuing and why. Politicians seldom act without calculation and premeditation, so we must look beneath and beyond the deluge of criticisms to understand what forces are at play.

The latest to join in the gratuitous attacks is the Senate Minority Leader and former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume. The bone they will not let go of is the cash-for-arms aircraft that landed in South Africa. Despite the fact that the parties involved have stated their roles and, the acceptance by both the Nigerian and South African governments that no blame or guilt can be attached to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the campaign of calumny against the CAN President has been relentless.

When one hears politicians speak of their propriety in matters religious, it is best to run for cover. George Akume has sought to present himself (by implication in contrast to Pastor Ayo) as righteous in his guardianship and promotion of “the tenets of the teachings of Jesus the Christ”.

The rancour accompanying the cries suggests that the opposition want their pound of flesh. On the face of it, their intentions are clear to see, to discredit Pastor Ayo; their motives deserve closer scrutiny. Since they cannot have Pastor Ayo’s flesh, whose flesh are they clamouring after?

George Akume has chosen to disregard the legal and legitimate and instead resort to an exploration of what he describes as a “case of criminality involved in the questionable misadventure”. His language is deliberately mischievous, bordering on the slanderous. He plays fast and loose with the idea of “vicarious liability” and clearly only has a passing familiarity with the concept.

Pastor Oritsejafor is not and has never in any way, shape or form been involved in the “murky waters of international arms trafficking”. For George Akume to insinuate without substantiation is the kind of language that should not emanate from a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let alone the Senate Minority Leader.

Indeed, given Akume’s exalted position in our upper legislative house, rather than indulging in idle speculation, he has a duty to bring to the attention of the nation’s law officers any information he has on the flouting of the laws of the land. If he has no such evidence, he should learn to keep a civil tongue in his mouth. People who live in glass houses ought not to throw stones.

If, as we suspect, the object of the thinly veiled attacks by the political opposition is not Pastor Oritsejafor, then his reference to vicariousness takes on added meaning. If the political opposition wish to lay into the President, they should not go by way of the President of CAN. CAN has been vociferous and volubly engaged in the security affairs of the country of recent because those affairs have directly and continue to directly impact CAN’s primary constituency, the body of Christians in Nigeria.

The Body of Christ should not shirk from that duty and responsibility merely because those that are not in office would rather we not support efforts to restore a semblance of justice and normality to the North of the country.
Long live Nigeria!
God bless Nigeria http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/playing-politics-pastor-oritsejafor/

I did not understand,pls always use british english cuz r d colonizismatismaxinagrationindependent.

Oritsejafor should resign as CAN president and focus on his other interests

Poor attempt to cover his atrocities.

mikeansy: Oritsejafor should resign as CAN president and focus on his other interests

Business

Yomieluv: Poor attempt to cover his atrocities.

another supporter of APC and Green Bottle chairman!


see how opposition has blinded your sense of reasoning!



did i not warn you to stop getting high on Green Bottle Substance!

dtruth3:


another supporter of APC and Green Bottle chairman!


see how opposition has blinded your sense of reasoning!



did i not warn you to stop getting high on Green Bottle Substance!

where did you see APC,or PDP mentioned here?

So tell me who's high?.

@OP:

My friend, the duty of the opposition, anywhere in the world, is to criticise the government; this sustained pressure is what keeps the govt. on its toes and forces it to do the right thing (in order to avoid being made to look bad in the eyes of the general public, who elected it) - and it is a good thing for democracy.

Therefore, accusing APC for doing their work is quite needless and myopic on your part.

Pastor Oritsejafor, as a man of God and leader of CAN rather than remain within the ambit of his calling had decided to enter and influence politics of the country (in a manner causing embarrassment to many Christians that led even Catholics to break away from the association).
By publicly aligning himself with the ruling party (PDP) and with the president, pastor Oritsejafor has therefore bared himself open legitimate scrutiny and treatment as any other politician in the land, in addition to the expected moral standards of a man of God that he claims to be.

Even if the govt (or more accurately his political ally, Jonathan) has exonerated him; he definitely hasn't by the general public (who are still demanding for answers) and certainly not by the SA government whose laws on money laundering and arms purchase were flouted by the FG using his aircraft; because there are still unresolved questions he needs to clarify; among them breaking of the law by sub-leasing his privately registered aircraft - which is illegal in Nigeria (why then is the man of God engaged in crime?)

Note that your baseless counter accusation against the opposition would not launder the already damaged image of pastor Oritsejafor, especially as the loudest descenting voices are from his own Christian flock - or are you suggesting that all those Christian folks condemning his wrong doing are members of the opposition?

MeAboki: @OP:

My friend, the duty of the opposition, anywhere in the world, is to criticise the government; this sustained pressure is what keeps the govt. on its toes and forces it to do the right thing (in order to avoid being made to look bad in the eyes of the general public, who elected it) - and it is a good thing for democracy.

Therefore, accusing APC for doing their work is quite needless and myopic on your part.

Pastor Oritsejafor, as a man of God and leader of CAN rather than remain within the ambit of his calling had decided to enter and influence politics of the country (in a manner causing embarrassment to many Christians that led even Catholics to break away from the association).
By publicly aligning himself with the ruling party (PDP) and with the president, pastor Oritsejafor has therefore bared himself open legitimate scrutiny and treatment as any other politician in the land, in addition to the expected moral standards of a man of God that he claims to be.

Even if the govt (or more accurately his political ally, Jonathan) has exonerated him; he definitely hasn't by the general public (who are still demanding for answers) and certainly not by the SA government whose laws on money laundering and arms purchase were flouted by the FG using his aircraft; because there are still unresolved questions he needs to clarify; among them breaking of the law by sub-leasing his privately registered aircraft - which is illegal in Nigeria (why then is the man of God engaged in crime?)

Note that your baseless counter accusation against the opposition would not launder the already damaged image of pastor Oritsejafor, especially as the loudest descenting voices are from his own Christian flock - or are you suggesting that all those Christian folks condemning his wrong doing are members of the opposition?

@meAboki, You are being intelligent by half. Can you state the duties of the CAN President and honestly state of he has not done any. Ayo remains the most visible CAN president ever. If not for the politics of hate brewed by the haters of GEJ what exactly did pastor Ayo do that's wrong. Yes he supports GEJ , is that bad? Ayo was everywhere in the north shouting that they should stop killing Christians ,what support did he get from those criticising him. Ayo out of good will never wanted the present govt to fail inspite of the obvious challenges. he did his best.

Those against him are doing so to get at the president and to advance their political interest.

on the issue of his jet, he has cleared the air. those who don't like him can spin it the way they like.

Must every one be against GEJ? Some just hated him because he got a jet. what a shame.

Those who are against him for having a jet, yet they own vehicles worth millions are hypocritical. they never sold their cars and gave the money to the poor.

politics of hate will not do us any good.