Apostle Suleiman Apologises to Femi Adesina over altercations on CAN Chair’s beheading by Boko Haram

The General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministries International, Auchi, Edo State, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, has tendered a public apology to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, over his vitriolic reaction to Adesina’s response to the submissions by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on the beheading of Rev. Lawan Andimi by Boko Haram terrorists, and sundry security challenges confronting the country.

At a press conference, the CAN President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, had decried the gruesome murder of Rev. Andimi, who was CAN chairman in Michika Local Government Area of  Adamawa State, and alleged that the government was colluding with the terrorists to wreak havoc on Nigeria.

The CAN Chairman also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to, among others, “purge himself of the allegations of nepotism and religious favouritism by reconstituting the leadership of security outfits.”

But these obviously didn’t go down well with the administration and Adesina. And the presidential spokesman, through his column, From The Inside, told the organisation that it was reckless for CAN to lay such a weighty allegation against the government, and advised its leaders, as men of God, not to speak as if the apex Christian body was a political party.

“CAN says kidnappings and killings are shameful to a government that boasts that it has conquered insurgency,” Adesina had said in the article. “Boasts. So that is all that matters to CAN as if it was an opposition political party? Boasts. No. This would not augur for unity and cohesion in a country.

“We are not asking the Christian body to be in bed with government, that would not help anybody, but the organization has been sounding too long like a political party.”

Apostle Suleiman picked up the gauntlet and took to his twitter handle on Saturday, January 25, 2020, and poured invectives on Adesina.

“Just saw the empty defence of Femi Adesina and his lashing CAN over the beheading of Rev Andimi…such insensitive man is a presidential media aide?…certain positions should be given to people who have heads…even if they lack brains, we can manage ‘just head’.”

Adesina would not allow such insult to pass without a response. He too took to twitter to recall the several failed prophecies of Apostle Suleiman, like the one in which he said whoever won the 2015 presidential election would not rule; and that Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai would not win. Well, President Muhammadu Buhari won and ruled. He is in his second term. The same goes for el-Rufai.

When Governor el-Rufai also outlawed religious preaching in public places in the aftermath of the violent crises that rocked the state, Adesina also recalled in the tweet, Apostle Suleiman said the Governor would die. But the petite Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna State is still alive.

The Special Adviser, in his tweet, added up all these failed prophecies and surmised that Apostle Suleiman was a false prophet.

However, in a dramatic turn, on Saturday, Apostle Suleiman released a public statement in which he publicly apologised to Adesina. “I apologise if it came out wrongly or rudely,” he wrote.

Continuing, Suleiman said: “Sir, when I read your response to CAN, two things came to mind: I asked myself, must the allure of power make you antagonistic of church leaders whilst your colleague is protecting his? I equally felt your response was ill-timed, knowing these leaders were mourning. I apologise if it came out wrongly or rudely.”

The Crest made several calls to Suleiman’s phone to verify the authenticity of what a source hinted prompted him to apologise to Adesina. He neither picked the calls nor responded to the sms message sent as a sequel.

• Later: full text of Apostle Suleiman’s statement.