‘I have never given N1 to CAN,’ Obi speaks on alleged N2bn donation to churches

The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday, dismissed a claim that he gave N2 billion to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to mobilise support for his presidential ambition.

A petition dated December 15, 2022, written by one Frank Onwumere and addressed to the CAN President, Daniel Okoh, went viral on social media last weekend.

The petitioner said the N2 billion was shared among Christian religious bodies under the umbrella of the CAN and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) while other denominations were sidelined from the largesse.

In a statement issued on Sunday, CAN described the petition as malicious and promised to probe its source.

Onwumere had also distanced himself from the petition.

The LP candidate, who featured on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, said that he had never given CAN one naira.

READ ALSO: CAN to investigate claim on Peter Obi’s N2bn gift to churches

He promised to step down from the presidential race if anyone could disprove his claim.

Obi said: “I don’t even have N2 billion. What am I giving the clerics that kind of money for?

“They are clerics and should be praying for the progress of the country.

“They should be the ones to even support my campaign with money so that I can emerge (the winner) and not the other way round.

“I have never given N1 to CAN. If anybody can trace that I have given the Christian body money before, they should prove me wrong and I will back down from my presidential pursuit.”

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