The newly elected Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria, (UMCN), Bishop Emmanuel Ande, has called on the Taraba state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, to lift the seal on the church’s properties.

Some of the church properties in the state were closed by the state government following disputes.

Addressing the crowd of church members who welcomed him at the state secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) after his return from the church’s recently concluded elections in Ghana, the cleric emphasised that reopening the facilities would allow church members to gather and celebrate Christmas in their worship centers.

He expressed hope that the appeal would receive urgent attention, enabling congregants to mark the festive season in their sacred spaces.

Reaffirming the church’s adherence to biblical principles, Nigerian law, and its constitution, he called for unity and reconciliation within the church, which has faced a two-decade-long crisis.

Describing allegations of support for same-sex marriage and homosexuality within the church as “misinformation”, he emphasised that the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN) “remains firmly rooted in its spiritual and legal foundations.”

The bishop extended an olive branch to members who have aligned themselves with the breakaway Global Methodist Church (GMC), urging them to return to the UMCN.

He argued that “a church cannot be built on conflict or by seizing another’s property” and called for peace and collaboration to advance the church’s mission across the state, Nigeria, and the globe.

Supporting the new bishop’s call for unity, Reverend Eli Yakku, one of the candidates in the election, urged members to accept Bishop Ande as the church’s spiritual leader and work towards healing the divisions within the church.

Some of the congregations who bared their minds to our correspondent, said the emergence of the new bishop, has laid to rest the wranglings that have in the past enveloped the church, beckoning at the state government to as a matter of urgency unseal all the church properties that have been under locked and key.

The newly elected Bishop of the church emerged victorious in a closely contested election involving three candidates. (The Guardian)