From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Leadership of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has described as erroneous and a blatant lie, A media report that the National President of the organisation, Wale Oke, referred to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as inconsequential.
The Bureau of Publicity of PFN in Lagos State made the clarification in a statement.
Oke was quoted by an online medium to have made derogatory statements about CAN at the PFN Lagos chapter meeting on Tuesday.
In the statement, the PFN and its entire membership stand united in debunking the erroneous report and urge all believers to remain focused on their critical mission of spreading the message of Jesus Christ’s love and redemption to the world.
The PFN reiterated its commitment to unity and collaboration with all Christian organisations, regardless of their size or prominence, adding that the PFN and CAN are closely affiliated and share a critical mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“The attention of the leadership of PFN has been drawn to a recent online news report, circulating regarding the statement made by the PFN president at its Lagos chapter meeting in Lagos.
“In the said report, it was alleged that the PFN President, Oke, made derogatory remarks about CAN and that he was trying to polarise the Lagos chapter. We wish to state that the leadership of PFN is unequivocally committed to setting the records straight and hereby refute these claims as baseless and out of context.
“The reported statement, suggesting that the PFN president referred to CAN as ‘inconsequential’ and demanded submission, is not only false but also damaging to the collective mission of both PFN and CAN as Christian organisations. It is crucial to clarify that our fellowship has always prioritised unity, respect, and collaboration among all Christian organisations, regardless of their size or prominence.
“The PFN understands the importance of discerning fact from fiction, in an age where misinformation and false claims abound. It is regrettable, however, that there are those who seek to sow discord for their own gain by spreading such falsehoods. The PFN and its entire membership stand united in debunking this erroneous report and urge all believers to remain focused on our critical mission of spreading the message of Jesus Christ’s love and redemption to the world.
“It is worthy to note, that PFN is an integral part of CAN as it is affiliated to CAN in the CPFN/PFN Bloc where the current PFN President, Oke, incidentally, is the national leader. PFN participates in every activity of CAN, such as the president-in-council, the national executive council and the general assembly. PFN had also at various times had the honour of producing Mike Okonkwo as CAN national vice president and Ayo Oritsejafor, as CAN national president.
“These are among other PFN contributions to the evolution and history of Christian ecumenism, under which all Christians in Nigeria formidably unite. The PFN appreciates the efforts of the Nigerian media in contributing their quota to the development of our nation despite harrowing challenges they are faced with. We, however, urge them to shun sensationalism in their news report and carry out their dignified profession with every sense of responsibility, fairness and justice, which embodies the ethics of their profession.”