Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop circulating forged materials following the controversy over a fake statement falsely attributed to a Catholic youth organisation.
Amadi made the call in a post on his X account on Wednesday, August 5, after the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON) disowned a document that claimed to respond to recent comments by Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Questioning the need for fabricated documents in political discourse, Amadi said the ruling party could defend its position without resorting to forgery.
“Is it not possible for APC to stop forgery? You can make a powerful counter argument without resorting to forgery. Forgery is not good. Please stop,” he wrote.
The controversy began after a document titled “Our Faith Must Rise Above Partisan Politics” circulated widely on social media, purportedly issued by a group identified as the Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN).
However, CYON dismissed the document as fake and described it as an act of impersonation.
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In a statement jointly signed by its National President, Gosife Kizito Eze, National Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Maurice Mbeke, and National Secretary, Francisca A. Adesokan, the organisation said the publication did not originate from it.
The statement read in part: “The document is false, fraudulent and unauthorised.”
CYON also clarified that the organisation named in the document does not exist.
According to the group, there is no body known as the Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN), stressing that the authentic umbrella body for Catholic youths in the country is the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON).
The organisation urged Nigerians and members of the Catholic community to disregard the document, insisting it neither reflected its views nor represented its official position.
CYON further described the publication as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and tarnish its reputation.
It warned that it reserved the right to pursue legal action against those behind the alleged forgery and impersonation.