Okoh’s presidential nomination yet to be ratified, CAN clarifies

Despite Most Rev. Daniel Okoh’s nomination by the Electoral College for the presidency, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said the hopeful is yet to be cleared by the National Executive Council (NEC) and General Assembly to succeed Dr. Samson Ayokunle as president of the religious body.

Citing extant provisions of CAN constitution in a statement, Media Assistant to the outgoing chief executive, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, clarified that Okoh is not yet the organiastion’s president.

According to him, Article 17 (9) (viii) of the constitution provides that a candidate, who secures “majority vote of the electoral college for each office shall be recommended to NEC, while Article 17 (9) stipulates that NEC shall accept the recommended candidates for offices of the president and vice president and present them to the General Assembly for ratification by majority votes of those qualified to vote at the General Assembly.”

He stressed: “It is true that the Most Rev. Okoh has emerged the candidate from the Electoral College, but this must be ratified by NEC and the General Assembly.

“Article 17 (9) viii-xi, requires that NEC and the General Assembly must ratify the nomination of the candidate before a new president emerges. So, the process is still ongoing and it will be completed on Thursday (today). “
Oladeji stated that the announcement, on Tuesday, by the body’s general secretary, Joseph Daramola, of Okoh’s emergence, was far from the truth.

He stated: “For the record, Daramola is not the spokesman of the association but the general secretary.

“The letter being referred to was an invitation to NEC members and the bloc’s leaders to complete the process that would lead to emergence of the new president.”