The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has clarified that entities such as “Northern CAN,” “Southern CAN,” and other regional groups currently in circulation are not legally recognised.

In a statement signed by the CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the organisation emphasised that such entities are not acknowledged within the constitutional framework of the national Christian body and any statements issued by these groups do not represent the official position of CAN and should be disregarded by both the public and the media.

The statement further explained that, according to the CAN Constitution, the authority to issue official press releases on behalf of the Association lies solely with the President, while zonal, state, and local chapters may issue communications relevant to their immediate contexts, they are not authorised to speak on behalf of the national body unless expressly permitted by the national leadership.

According to the statement CAN operates a four-tier structure; at the national level, the Association is headquartered in Abuja and led by the President and the National Executive Council (NEC) and at the zonal level, CAN is structured into six geopolitical zones: North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-West, South-East, and South-South, the statement explained.

“It has come to the knowledge of the national leadership that certain statements attributed to entities such as “Northern CAN,” “Southern CAN,” and other regional or unofficial groups are in circulation. CAN categorically states that these entities are not recognised within its constitutional structure. Any statements issued by such groups do not reflect the official position of CAN and should be disregarded by the public and the media”, an excerpt from the statement reads.

The Association urged the public to rely solely on information, through officially recognised channels in order to ensure accuracy and promote unity within the Christian community.