On February 12, 2023, a petition dated December 15 circulated online. The petition, which was addressed to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), was said to have been written and signed by Pastor Frank Onwuere of Dominion Centre International.
According to the petition, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, gave N2 billion to CAN, and the disbursed funds are to “help and assist in mobilising and convincing their congregation to vote massively for the candidacy of Mr. Peter Obi. ” The letter claims Obi needs “urgent answers and attention from CAN, PFN, and the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria.”
Since the petition went viral, each stakeholder involved has stated their position on the alleged N2 billion naira donation to the apex Christian body in Nigeria.
Claim
Did Peter Obi give N2 billion to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)?
Verification
The CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in a Press Statement, denied the collection of N2 billion from the Labour Party presidential candidate.
“The so-called letter of petition reportedly signed by one Pastor Frank Onwumere and addressed to the office of the CAN President is illogical and can best be described as a failed attempt to drag the apex Christian body into the politics of 2023,” the statement read.
In addition, the statement clarified CAN’s stance on the 2023 general election: “Nigerians should note that CAN, as a faith-based entity, maintains its non-partisan stance and will not endorse or mobilise support for any candidate in the upcoming elections, as against the social media post being circulated by some elements bent on soiling its name and image.”
When he appeared on Channel News, “The 2023 Verdict,” Peter Obi, the alleged donor of the N2 billion, denied the cash inducement. While reacting to Pastor Frank Onwumere’s petition to CAN, Peter Obi said “You know me very well; I don’t even have N2 billion, talk less of giving anybody N2 billion.”
“What am I giving them N2 billion for? They are clergy, they should be praying for the country, they don’t need money to pray,” Obi added.
Similarly, Labour Party’s campaign council has dismissed the allegation as “blackmail stuff”. According to the media team, “our mission in the Obidient Movement this day is to alert and warn discerning minds, especially those desirous to see a new Nigeria emerge through Peter Obi, to ignore and treat as thrash any doctored and faked items on Obi”.
Finally, the CDD War Room investigated “Dominion Center International”, the religious organization which the letter-headed document allegedly belongs. We found no organization using such nomenclature. In a similar vein, the public figure who goes by the name “Frank Onwumere” in Imo State, is a former Chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area.
He clarified that the petition was not from him and that he is not a member of any organization that bears the name “Dominion Center International.”
Verdict:
There is no evidence to support the claim that Peter Obi donated N2 billion Naira to the Christian Association of Nigeria. Moreso, the first Twitter source for the memo has since taken down the tweet.
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