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N90BN ALLEGATION: Following backlash, CAN clarifies comments on Osinbajo

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Osinabjo and Ayokunle

The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has made known its discussion with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during a visit over the N90 billion allegation.

Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, spokesman to CAN president, Rev Supo Ayokunle, in a statement on Sunday, said they had visited the VP to pray for him and also hear what he had to say concerning the allegations against him.

Reacting to criticisms trailing their earlier comment that Osinbajo was innocent of the accusations, CAN stated that it would never endorse corruption and had never exonerated anyone accused of corruption.

Speaking on the visit, the statement said: “CAN leadership visited the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo last Friday to hear his side of the story instead of rushing to the press either to condemn him or throw our weight behind him. This we believe, there is no law that is against our action.

READ ALSO: N90BN ALLEGATION: CAN declares Osinbajo innocent, says ‘the church will fight for him’

“After we had interacted with him and he said that the allegation was baseless and should be treated as rubbish, and not only that, he said that he was going to pursue the matter legally to prove his innocence, we then assured him that if he is proved innocent, then we throw our weight behind him. We thereafter prayed for him and our nation Nigeria. We urged him to continue to serve the nation with clean hands.

“The leadership of CAN has never endorsed corruption. In our earlier visits to President Muhammadu Buhari, we had praised him for fighting war against corruption but urged him to make it comprehensive, sparing no one irrespective of political affiliation.”

The statement also recalled what CAN told journalists: “We were there to pray for him and also to let him tell us about the allegations against him whether true or false and he has cleared the air that there was no iota of truth in what some people decided to bring out against him.

“And he was ready to prove himself (innocent) and to go all out with them. If there is an allegation, there must be evidence to prove it. Therefore, he said we should see it as rubbish. It can never happen with him and it has never happened.

“If the allegation was not true and the people who alleged cannot prove it, then, you know that the Church will be very proud of him, and will continue to be proud (of him) and we are praying for him and we are also saying that nobody should toy with the innocent that are faithfully serving us in the nation for whatever reason, the whole of Nigerians we rise together to fight such people.”

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