It appears that the proposed Christmas Carol of the Imo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) earlier scheduled for December 19th, 2025 may not hold, as stakeholders from four of the five blocs within the association have strongly opposed the scheduled programme, as well as any other CAN activities being organised under the leadership of the acting chairman. Their opposition follows the inconclusive election conducted six months ago.
This is even coming as they further rejected the acting chairmanship of Imo CAN, insisting that, in line with the provisions of the CAN Constitution, it is the turn of the Catholic bloc to assume the chairmanship position.
Speaking during a solidarity visit to the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Most Rev. Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, the stakeholders said their position was informed by the need to uphold constitutional order, justice and unity within the Church in Imo State.
The delegation’s spokesperson Barr. Oluchukwu Green Nnabugwu, former Director of Legal and Public Affairs of CAN, Imo State Chapter, explained that the visit was also to brief the Catholic bloc leader and national leadership of the developments surrounding the unresolved chairmanship election.
According to Nnabugwu, the CAN constitution clearly provides for rotational leadership among the five recognised blocs, adding that it is constitutionally the turn of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) to produce the chairman of CAN in Imo State.
He recalled that following the expiration of the previous tenure, the CSN bloc presented Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Gerald Njoku as its candidate. The candidate, he said, was subjected to screening by the CAN Electoral College, made up of 15 members — three representatives from each of the five blocs — and emerged with a unanimous score of 15 out of 15.
Nnabugwu, who previously served as the National Secretary of the Youth Wing of the Christian Council of Nigeria and is the immediate past Chairman of the Southern Youth Wing of CAN, which comprises the 17 southern states of Nigeria, disclosed that following his emergence at the electoral college, the next constitutional step was the formal ratification of the candidate by the General Assembly. He explained that this process ought to have been concluded within a short time. However, he noted that the election was unexpectedly declared inconclusive, a decision he described as unjustified and contrary to the CAN constitution..
The stakeholders further expressed concern over the subsequent appointment of an acting chairman by the national leadership of CAN, describing such an arrangement as unconstitutional and alien to the association’s tradition. They maintained that even where an acting arrangement is contemplated, it must not exceed two weeks, yet the current situation has lingered for over six months.
The leaders described the situation as unprecedented in the history of CAN since the adoption of its current constitution, particularly as a duly screened and approved Catholic candidate already exists.
They stressed that four blocs of CAN in Imo State — the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN/PFN), and the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) — are united in rejecting the acting leadership arrangement.
They also announced their decision to dissociate themselves from all CAN programmes and activities in Imo State under the present leadership structure, including the proposed Christmas Carol. According to them, the only programme they would recognise is one convened by the national or zonal leadership of CAN solely for the purpose of formally handing over leadership to the CSN bloc.
The stakeholders called on the national and zonal leadership of CAN to urgently intervene and resolve the impasse to prevent further division within the Church.
They reaffirmed their commitment to peace, unity and constitutionalism, insisting that their stand was neither political nor personal.
“Our position is biblical, constitutional and moral,” they said. “We seek the peace of the Church in Imo State and will continue to stand for justice and the unity of the Body of Christ.”
