The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has denounced the Pentecostal Bishops Forum of Northern Nigeria, which met with Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group’s clergy met with Tinubu in Abuja on Friday, amidst the uproar surrounding the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The fact that Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, are both Muslims has outraged the country’s Christian population.
It has also been criticised by the PFN and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
In an interview with TheCable published on Sunday, David Bakare, deputy national secretary of the PFN, stated, “There is nothing in the PFN that is regionally based, such as southern or northern pentecostal bishops.”
According to Bakare, the PFN is an offshoot of CAN, and resistance to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket has not changed.
He stated, “The meeting between Tinubu and the Pentecostal Bishops Forum of Northern Nigeria is unrelated to the PFN.”
“I am officially and authoritatively stating that the ranks of the Christian community, as well as the PFN that I represent, are not at all broken.
“The PFN is unaware of the Pentecostal Bishops Forum of Northern Nigeria. This forum has no association or relationship with the PFN that is registered with this nation’s government.
“The PFN’s stance on the same faith ticket remains unchanged, and we have not changed our stance on this issue for any reason.
“The PFN was not present at the highly politicized meeting with the presidential contender. However, we are aware of the public discourse surrounding this issue.
“I am speaking formally to stress that the PFN is unaffiliated with that organization. We have not taken such a decision, we have not met with that political party, and anything we do will be made public.
“This group is independent and has nothing to do with the actual PFN. I examined the names and images (from the conference). I could identify approximately two members, but they speak for themselves.”
Bakare stated that all Nigerian evangelical leaders speak with one voice.
“In actuality, the PFN does not have any parameters for bishops. “What we have is PFN; we do not distinguish between pentecostal bishops and other pentecostal clergy,” he remarked.
Individuals are permitted to form associations, but when it comes to the PFN, our attitude has not changed and we have not authorized anyone to hold a meeting.