Rev. Philip Micah Dopah, Dean of Cabinet of the Southern Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC), has revealed that a petition filed by the Catholic bloc of the Taraba State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) led to the postponement of the association’s elections originally scheduled for January 8, 2025.  

Speaking during an interview in Jalingo, Rev. Dopah explained that the Catholic bloc objected to a request from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to allow their representative to complete the tenure of the late Rev. Ben Obeh, the former CAN Chairman who passed away in a car accident in 2018.  

“The PFN pleaded that their late member, Rev. Ben Obeh, who died on March 25, 2018, be allowed to have his tenure completed. However, the Catholic bloc opposed this request, arguing that they had never held the position of CAN Chairman in the state and that it was their turn to lead,” Dopah stated.  

He further disclosed that Governor Agbu Kefas had urged both blocs to agree on a neutral candidate to resolve the impasse, but the efforts were unsuccessful. “When the three-month period for conducting the election expired, we invited both groups for reconciliation. However, three members of the Catholic bloc walked out of the meeting, resulting in the election being postponed for another three months,” Dopah said.  

Rev. Dopah also dismissed allegations by the Global Methodist Church Nigeria (GMCN) against his eligibility to run for a position under the TEKAN ECWA bloc. The petitioners had claimed that his affiliation with the TEKAN churches was unapproved, a claim he described as baseless and unfounded.  

“The claim that my application to join the TEKAN churches under the United Methodist Church Nigeria (UMCN) has not been approved is completely unfounded. My eligibility to contest under the TEKAN ECWA bloc remains valid,” Dopah stressed.  

The leadership tussle within the Taraba State CAN highlights the challenges of balancing representation among various Christian blocs in the state and underscores the need for consensus-building to ensure effective leadership