The Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria, Rev. John Wesley Yohanna has cautioned nonmembers against the impersonation of his personality by using his official portraits in the official United Methodist Church Programmes.


The Bishop noted that his attention was drawn to an unofficial United Methodist Church gathering taking place in Filiya, Shongom local government area of Gombe State Organized by some renegade group of the church where his official portraits as Bishop, name, and logo of the United Methodist Church is used without the knowledge of the leadership of the church.


” The people who are organizing this purported Conference in Filiya Shongom local government area in Gombe state are not members of UMCN because they have exited the church for organizing a separate revival Program other than the one Organized by the leadership of Northern Nigerian Annual Conference of the Church and for using my portraits as Bishop in an unofficial United Methodist Church program I consider that as impersonation as I am not aware or in support of the said program”.


He stressed that the program Organized by the renegade group is not recognized by any organ of the leadership of the Church in the Nigerian Episcopal Area.


” The Northern Nigerian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria is not aware of this purported Conference, the Nigeria Episcopal Area didn’t recognize this gathering neither does the United Methodist Church at the globally level recognized this program, so the people Organizing this program are on their own and they cannot be called the United Methodist Church members, so they should stop parading themselves as members of the church and they should stop misleading the Public”. He warned.


Bishop John Wesley Yohanna, however, informed that the renegade groups can only be recognized and welcomed back if they will be obedient to the leadership of the church and adhered to the instructions of the Bishop.


” If they want to be called United Methodist Church members they must desist from their rebellious attitude and submit to the leadership of the church and adhered to the instructions of the Bishop anything short of that they are on their own.”


The leader of the Church in Nigeria, Bishop John Wesley Yohanna, therefore, called on members of the public especially those in Gombe state to disregard the program Organized by renegade groups as he disowned them.