Faction Insists Fresh Election Into Northern CAN Must Hold

The Christian Association of Nigeria, Northern States, and the FCT, Abuja chapter, have announced plans to hold a new election for their officials following a crisis that rocked the organization.

THE WHISTLER reports that the crisis began when Rev. Joseph Hayab was purportedly elected as the Chairman of Northern CAN in an election held a few weeks ago in Abuja.

At the heart of the crisis is the question of Rev. Yakubu Pam’s tenure, which allegedly expired over two years ago. Rev. Pam, who has been at the helm of the association since 2019, insists that his four-year tenure, renewable for another term, remains intact.

But Rev. Joseph Hayab, who leads the opposing group, disagrees. “Constitutionally, the tenure of Rev. Yakubu Pam and his officials has expired; it expired over two years ago,” Rev. Hayab said in an interview.

However, the Rev. Pam-led General Secretary of the Northern CAN, Elder Sunday Oibe, while speaking to journalists in Kaduna on Monday, described the election as “null and void.”

Elder Oibe stated that the election was conducted without following the legally recognized bylaws of the Northern CAN, and those who organized it had no legal rights to do so.

According to Elder Oibe, the Northern CAN has its bylaws, which guide its operations, and these bylaws were not used in the previous election.

He also pointed out that Rev. Hayab’s claim of being elected for a single tenure of five years contradicts the Northern CAN bylaws, which state that a person can serve for a tenure of four years, renewable for one term.

He said, “We are not going to accept any election that was conducted without following our bylaws. The bylaws are clear on how elections should be conducted, and we will not deviate from that.

“The truth is that there is a bylaw that brought us to office. The copies are there. If Hayab said there was a bylaw in 2014 that allowed only three years of tenure, how come he elected himself for five years of tenure?

“We are ready for the election this first quarter of the year. If Rev. Hayab wants to contest, let him come, and if the people vote him as their chairman, so be it,” Elder Oibe said.

He assured that the Northern CAN will conduct a free and fair election, using its recognized bylaws.

However, Pastor Simon Dolly, Director of National Issues and Social Welfare of the new Northern CAN, dismissed Elder Sunday Oibe’s announcement that the election of the Northern CAN leadership will be held soon.

“Which election again? We have done the election, and the new leadership has been inaugurated. We are doing our job in helping the church; helping in the coordination of the Christians in Northern Nigeria.”

Dolly challenged Oibe’s position as the secretary of the Northern CAN, stating that he was not appointed but rather brought in by Rev. Pam after their tenure ended in 2019, saying that “nobody appointed him. We don’t recognize him. He should just go and rest.”

He insisted that the election was legitimate and that the new leadership had been inaugurated.

“The leaders of the church in the North came together and chose their leaders. All the chairmen and secretaries in northern states, with the exception of two or three of them, did not attend the programme, but all came. All the church leaders in northern Nigeria met, and they decided on their leadership.

“We are not going to be distracted by the crisis. We will continue to work for the interest of Christians in Northern Nigeria,” Pastor Dolly said.

Faction Insists Fresh Election Into Northern CAN Must Hold is first published on The Whistler Newspaper