The Chairman of the Organising Committee of Reverend Yinka Yusuf’s One Million Crusade in Uyo, Evangelist Godspromise Anthony Etim, has alleged that internal church politics and competing interests within Christian leadership circles in Akwa Ibom State led to the abrupt halt of the highly publicised crusade.

In an interview with newsmen in Uyo on Monday, Evangelist Etim said the programme, scheduled for February 9 to 15, 2026, was stalled following interventions linked to the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akwa Ibom State chapter, despite months of preparation and mobilisation across the state.

He alleged that the leadership of CAN in the state was more focused on organising a separate conference for a visiting Kenyan prophet and feared that Rev. Yusuf’s crusade, billed to commence days earlier, would affect attendance and overall impact of that meeting.

“Seeing that the One Million Crusade was scheduled to start four days before theirs, they felt it would be a disappointment to their leadership if the turnout for their meeting was poor. I believe they saw the two gatherings as competitors rather than complementary moves of the Spirit,” Etim said.

He recalled that plans started in 2024 and extensive groundwork for the crusade began as far back as September 2025, including visits to 25 local government areas where local organising committees were set up, minimum of two coordinators appointed in each village, and pastors across denominations mobilised for participation.

Etim further accused some senior clerics of making misleading statements on television, particularly an Archbishop and a Pastor who appeared on AKBC TV and claimed that many gospel preachers come to Akwa Ibom merely to “shine” and gain government recognition without reciprocation in their home states.

“That statement is fundamentally wrong and contradicts the spirit of the Gospel. Rev. Yinka was not coming to shine or to be recognised by the governor.

Does the archbishop mean that all the respected preachers who held crusades in Uyo actually came to shine and get recognized by our state government? His statement reduces a spiritual mission to a competition for social status and political validation contradicting. The core of the Christian message is that the spotlight belongs solely to Jesus Christ and If people leave a service saying, ‘What an amazing pastor,’ they saw a performance; but if they leave saying, ‘What an amazing Saviour,’ they heard the Gospel,” he stated.

According to the evangelist, official protocols were followed, including submission of a formal letter from Rev. Yusuf to the PFN State Chairman, and plans for a strategic meeting with pastors in Uyo aimed at coordinating city-wide soul-winning efforts ahead of the crusade.

He disclosed that the PFN Chairman introduced him to the Administrative Secretary, who provided a list of 156 senior pastors, including prominent church leaders in the state, to whom official invitation letters were written and handed over for distribution, with funds paid for logistics and data.

“The big question is whether all 156 pastors received the letter and chose not to honour it, or whether the letters were never delivered. The letter was a door-opener, a call for synergy, and a statement of intent,” Etim said.

Despite the controversy, Etim said, I paid an official visit to Dr. Sylvanus Ukafia, the Senior Pastor, at his office. I extended Rev. Yinka’s greetings and informed him of the crusade and Rev. Yinka’s request to use his church as the venue for the meeting on the 16th of December, which he approved. The strategic meeting held on December 16, 2025, successfully, with the PFN State Chairman in attendance, where he encouraged pastors present to support Rev. Yusuf’s ministry.

After the meeting, Rev. Yinka Yusuf met with Dr. Ukafia to further express his gratitude and plans, and they exchanged pleasantries. This further debunks the statements made on TV and offline that Rev. Yusuf “just met with people” without reaching out to the PFN or officially writing to the fathers of faith and senior pastors. Either they intentionally ignored his letter, or the PFN Admin Secretary never issued it to them.

Etim also revealed that he later received a call from the PFN Chairman, who denied allegations by the CAN Chairman that he collected money from Rev. Yusuf to approve the crusade, stressing that no such payment was ever made beyond logistics funds requested by the PFN secretariat.

“The pressure to move the crusade came when we were barely a week away. Publicity was everywhere, global guests had committeed, and huge irreversible expenses had been incurred. That pressure created circumstances that eventually led to the cancellation,” he said.

He lamented that the cancellation deprived Akwa Ibom of a major spiritual investment aimed not only at soul-winning but at equipping and inspiring a new generation of evangelists, stressing that the state needs both physical development and spiritual renewal.

On allegations of an extra-marital affair levelled against Rev. Yusuf, Etim dismissed them as false and malicious, explaining that the Images circulated online were misrepresented family and ministry photographs, challenging accusers to provide evidence.

Calling for reflection and unity, Etim urged church leaders to recommit to the true mission of the Church, stressing that evangelists should be supported for their passion and calling rather than resisted or monetised, adding that he still prays Akwa Ibom will one day reopen its doors to Rev. Yinka Yusuf. (Daily Independent)