CAN bans political campaigns in churches

The South-East chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has banned political campaigns in churches across the zone. It said it took the decision to avoid a repeat of last Saturday church stampede in Anambra State, where about 28 persons reportedly died. The South-East CAN also asked the Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the remote causes of the incident. The organisation said it was wrong for Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State to set up such panel, “as the governor cannot be a judge in his own case.” Chairman of the group, Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, made this known while speaking with journalists in Enugu, on Monday. Chukwuma said CAN was becoming worried on why politicians should carry their campaigns to churches. He sympathised with relatives of victims of the incident, while lamenting that political campaigns in churches had become a menace. The cleric described the incident in Anambra as tragic, and vowed that CAN would sanction whatsoever church that violated the ban on political campaigns. He said, “It is my own duty as CAN chairman, South-East zone, to ban all politicians from attending our churches with their political teams for campaigns. The church should also stay clear of partisan politics because there are different kinds of people in the church that belong to different political parties. “So it’s wrong to come into the church and begin to talk about manifestos and begin to campaign. It is not going to be acceptable anymore because it causes commotion and disrespect to one another.”