Twists as Move to End UMCN Crisis Stale

* Bishop Johnwesley Yohanna Withdraw Cases, Preaches Unity

Crisis rocking the United Methodist Church of Nigeria, (UMCN) seems not to be heading to an end despite decisions of  one of the factions led by the Resident Bishop of the United Methodist Church of Nigeria, (UMCN) Jalingo, Bishop Johnwesley  Yohanna,  to withdraw  all pending court litigations instituted against each other's in the Mission.

The Director, Connectional Ministries of the Southern Conference of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN), Rev. Philip Micah Dopah, however faulted the move saying the sudden peace move is laced with deceit.  

Addressing a Press Conference in Jalingo,  Bishop Johnwesley Yohanna on his part, said he is concern about uniting the UMCN calling on the other faction to come forth in sincerity and honesty in resolving the crisis.

"When the late Elder Kwallah was laid to rest on the 22nd of May 2021 and I attended the funeral and at the end of the service, Rev Micah who said the benediction, announced to the church that there cannot be peace when there are court cases ongoing, based on this, I have heard many people talking on the need of withdrawing all the court cases in the UMCN. Based on this fact, as the UMCN Bishop, I want to state that clearly to everybody that I'm going to withdraw all the cases that are in court within the UMCN.

" And I'm doing this in sincerity and honesty, and I also expect all to come forth in sincerity and honesty. That the God we serve is the God of unity and the God we serve wants us to be one. am using this forum to information the entire public that by the grace of God, I am going to invite the trustees of both parties, after the receiving the report from some elders of the church whom I have consulted. I will invite both parties and I am going to transmit a ruling and that will be a ruling from the Mission and I expect everyone to accept the ruling so that the needed peace that everyone is yearning for within the UMCN will come to stay. I pray that God will bless us and give us the much needed peace as a church," Bishop Yohanna said.  

 

Rev. Dopah, who doubles as the Leader of the Southern Conference of the UMCN, speaking with our reporter, described the move by Bishop Johnwesley Yohanna to withdraw all litigations against them as deceptive and a means to cheaply take over the Southern Conference of the UMCN.

 

Rev. Dopah said his Conference is not considering the option because the terms are not realistic.

  He said: "it's an expensive joke because since the beginning of the crisis, Bishop Johnwesley Yohanna has always maintained he didn't take us to court, the cases are between the registered trustees and not by him, and because he is having problem with one of his trustees by name Ande, he is using this very deceptive peace move to gain sympathy.

"We have laboured to build our Conference and we won't allow anyone to come and take it over , he has no locus standing to initiate any peace move, if he want to unite the church, let him unite his Conferences first, because he is having problem with his conferences and his trustees.

"Our issue with Bishop Johnwesley Yohanna is beyond sitting in Jalingo here to discuss it, for peace to take place the UMCN, our  Regional and West Africa leaders in Liberia and Serria Lone must come to  mediate between us because, you cannot be the judge in your own case, withdrawing the cases must come from the trustees not him." Rev. Dopah said.