Tinubu, TCO adamant as reactions trail fake clergies’ at Shettima Unveiling, Calabar-based Bishop recants attending

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has remained indifferent to the reactions trailing the alleged presence of fake clergies at the unveiling of his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who fired back at critics accused his team of hiring street urchins and dressing them as Christian clerics during Wednesday’s unveiling of his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima in Abuja had jointly with the ruling party denied the allegation saying they did not engage in such activities.

In a statement through his campaign organization, Tinubu said the event was open to all, including clergymen.

The Tinubu Campaign Organisation has described as unwarranted distractions, the viral pictures and videos of some Christian clergy at Wednesday’s unveiling of Sen. Kashim Shettima, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Vice-Presidential candidate in Abuja.

The Director, Media, and Communication, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said that the clergymen were not fake as was being speculated in the social media, but are Church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry, but rather embrace politics of peace and nation building.

Onanuga explained that the event was an open affair that allowed members of the public to attend, including the clergymen and some others now being derided by hirelings of the opposition.

He said, “the event was an open affair which allowed members of the public to attend, including the clergymen and some others now being derided by hirelings of the opposition”.

“We want to say that those clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers as the purveyors of hatred have made Nigerians believe in the social media. They are not big names in Christendom yet, they are gradually building up their missions.

“They are church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry and rather embrace politics of peace and nation building.

“We, therefore, deplore the hysterical twisting of the presence of these men and women in cassocks and the false accusation against our candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Shettima.

“The orchestrated social media sensation over the presence of the men is needless and all calculated to detract from the huge success recorded at the momentous event on Wednesday.

“We believe Nigerians are too wise and discerning to see through this shenanigan. Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate and our great party are working very hard to provide purposeful leadership and good progressive governance that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

“We are well aware that the opposition parties and the sponsors of the social media charade are jittery and threatened by the intimidating political credentials of our candidates. The only way they hope to shift the attention of public scrutiny away from their uninspiring candidates and credentials is to create social media distraction.

“Our campaign is determined on focusing on core governance issues that affect all Nigerians with a view to confronting them and making the desired improvements in the standard of living of our people.”

Meanwhile, Footage of the unknown persons who Shettima said were 30 in number dressed in cassocks who attended the event has flooded social media amid controversy surrounding the same faith ticket.

News of his official announcement was overshadowed by the presence of dozens of ‘clergymen’, seen in Photos and videos arriving at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, the venue of the unveiling.

In reaction to their conduct, and attire which portrayed them as Catholics, etc., social media users launched scathing remarks.

The attendance of some unknown bishops and pastors at the unveiling of Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been described as disgraceful and pathetic.

Condemning their action in a statement in Osogbo on Thursday, the Lead Bishop of Worldwide Anglican Church (WAC) in Nigeria, Bishop Seun Adeoye noted that the All Progressives Congress, APC, the presidential candidate had ignored the call by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and gone ahead to pick Shettima another Muslim as his running mate.

While wondering the type of Christianity the bishops and pastors who attended the programme in Abuja practiced, Bishop Adeboye added that all they did was a scramble for recognition in the midst of crowds.

In his words, “We need to know who the men of God who attended this event are, their churches and where they are coming from and if indeed they are genuine ministers of the gospel.

“We need to know too maybe those garments were rented to be put on by those we saw in the pictures as an indication that Christians are in support of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“And if indeed they were real men of God as they claimed, then it is disgusting, disgraceful and pathetic for them to have disobeyed CAN. We know quite well that some are in the Church ministries because of the gods of their bellies.

“Nobody should take those men seriously. We need to be reminded of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ for a mere 30 pieces of silver. So, for them to have shunned the Christian body is an indication of who they are.”

While concluding that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is dangerous for a country like Nigeria, he urged Nigerians not to take them seriously as they were fake men of God who were at the event for a cost.

Aisha Yesufu, a human rights activist and social commentator has said that Shettima and Tinubu are trying to divert attention from Muslim-Muslim discuss with clerics.

Recall that Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, unveiled the former Borno State governor as his running mate on Wednesday in Abuja.

One of the ‘bishops’ who spoke with Peoples Gazette, Joseph Odaudu alleged that they were hired from a motor park.

“They came to meet us at the car park behind Eagle Square and they promised to give me N100,000. They bought food for us and took us to another place where they gave us clothes to dress like Christian leaders and reverend fathers,” Mr Odaudu told The Gazette.

“But after we finished, they only gave me N40,000 and another person said they got only N30,000. I don’t know why they changed our agreement because they said they had N100,000 for us.