By: Monday Danladi, Bauchi
In what they declared as their final stand, Chairmen of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Nineteen Northern States and FCT, have vowed to resist any further attempts to sow discord within the Association in the Region.
They therefore called on all stakeholders in the Region to support the newly elected leadership led by Rev Dr John Joseph Hayab, for the progress of the Christian body in Northern Nigeria.
The States Chairmen across the Nineteen Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), along with the Youths and Women’s wings, also declared their unwavering support for Rev. Dr. Joseph John Hayab’s leadership, describing the actions of former leaders, Rev. Yakubu Pam and Elder Sunday Oibe as scandalous.
The declaration was made during a press conference held at the Christian Centre in Abuja, shortly after the CAN leaders returned from a pilgrimage to Israel.
The chairmen and other stakeholders present reaffirmed their confidence in John Joseph Hayab’s leadership and condemned attempts by the members of the previous Executives to discredit the recent election that brought him to power.
Speaking on behalf of the state Chairmen and Secretaries, Apostle Barr. Shina Ibiyemi from Kwara State chapter, criticized the former leadership for extending their tenure beyond the stipulated period.
He therefore demanded an unreserved apology from the former leaders to all Northern Christians, insisting that their actions were a betrayal of Christian principles.
He emphasized that they were meant to set an example for political leaders rather than engage in tenure manipulation, calling on them to hand over all Nineteen States and FCT Northern CAN properties to their newly elected officials.
The Chairmen further emphasized that Joseph Hayab and his team were duly elected through a legitimate process and rejected allegations that those who elected them were “faceless.”
“We have tested the new leadership and know the type of leadership they will render. We cannot allow power-hungry individuals to hold Northern CAN hostage,” the Chairmen declared.
Dr. Daniel Musa Danladi, the Secretary of CAN in Katsina State, described as “shameful” the claim that the new leadership was illegitimate.
He pointed out that the overwhelming majority of the state chairmen had participated in the election and challenged the media to verify the identities of those making contrary claims.
Also speaking at the event, Rev. Father. Maurice Koli Hassan, the CAN Chairman of Jigawa State, accused the former leaders of trying to tarnish the image of the Christian body through misinformation.
He reiterated that Rev Pam and Oibe had already exceeded their tenure by Two years and nine months and had no moral justification to continue holding on to power.
According to him, “As stated earlier, all of us are Chairmen of CAN from different states, along with our Secretaries and Youths leaders, including the Women’s wing. We are here to reiterate, affirm, confirm, and endorse what we already agreed on, on the 25th of February, 2025.”
He stressed that, “Together, across all Northern stakeholders, we gathered here and put our minds together to see how we can move Northern CAN forward, and we all elected Rev. Hayab along with his cabinet to lead us to the promised land.”
Morris Koli Hassan stated that, “However, while we were away in Israel, we read some publications claiming that what we did was illegal and that we are faceless people. That is why we are gathered here today, to show our faces so that the world can see that we are not ashamed to identify with our actions on that day, the 25th of February, 2025.”
“This is our voice, and we are going to show our unwavering support for our new leadership led by Rev. Hayab and his team,” he added.
Earlier, the newly elected Northern CAN Chairman, Rev. Joseph Hayab, expressed dismay over the level of insults and scandalous statements leveled against him by the former CAN leadership.
He stressed that the meeting was to tell the world that there was nothing like a “coup” against Pam and Oibe, as they claimed.
He stated that he would have honorably left the seat vacant following the media brief by the past executives, except for the sake of the leaders who gave him their mandate to serve.
He added that the meeting was also meant to debunk media speculations that the CAN chairmen were impostors, as their faces from different states could now be seen.
The Chairmen denied ever approving any Constitution or byelaw at Northern CAN meeting on January 25th as been circulated by Oibe.
According to him, “There was no constitutional approval. All the Chairmen seated here can attest to the fact that it is a lie. Because they don’t have any case, they decided to start throwing abusive words. But we are Christians, we don’t want to abuse anybody.”
The CAN Chairman stressed that, “If not for the trust these ones have in me and their request for me to lead them, I would have gently stepped aside. But I have a mandate from these people, and I am not going to throw it away. These are the people who decide who leads CAN, and they have said, ‘No, you have exceeded your limit.’
According to him, “There was a Constitution that was reviewed in 2014 when Prof Babayi was General Secretary which clearly states a tenure of Three years, renewable by another final term of three years.”
“During the election in 2016, Rev Musa Dada had served Three years with Archbishop Jatau, so he was re-elected as Vice Chairman to serve another Three years. In 2019, he was asked not to contest because his tenure had elapsed,” he added.
Joseph Hayab added that,”During the first Three -year tenure, I was the PRO. In the second tenure of Three years, I became Vice Chairman. In 2022, our tenure expired, yet they remained in office. So, I decided to stay away, and now they are telling people that I was suspended simply because I refused to be part of illegality.”
He added that, “Now they claim it’s no longer Three years but Four years. Even at that, their tenure should have ended in 2023. This means they have still extended their tenure by another one year and nine months.”
“We are not here to trade abuses. The truth is clear. Pam and Oibe tenure expired in 2022, but they refused to step aside and are now trying to confuse people,” he added.
The 19-Northern States CAN Chairman, Youth Wing, Evang. Musa Misal, and Women’s Wing Leader, Ambassador Elizabeth Azizi, also advised the ex-leadership to stop hurling abusive words at the newly elected CAN leaders.
Musa Misal particularly lamented that a press statement was signed in his name without his consent on February 28th, claiming that he and the youths wing were with Rev. Pam, as published by a platform.
He described this as criminality and total desperation, urging the former leaders to tread with caution.
