The Taraba State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has been plunged into turmoil following the indefinite postponement of its election, which was earlier slated for today, January 17, 2025.

This latest postponement, as noted by DAILY POST, marks the second delay in the election process, following an earlier disruption in November 2024 over disputes concerning rotational leadership arrangements.

The Catholic Bloc, it will be recalled, had threatened to boycott the election unless their candidate was given the chance to assume the chairmanship position of the association.

Efforts to resolve the impasse, including the establishment of an electoral college with representatives from CAN’s five blocs, seem not to have yielded results, leaving the chapter in a state of uncertainty.

According to reports, the latest postponement stems from a petition filed by the Global Methodist Church against one of the candidates, Rev. Philip Micah Dopah.

In the midst of the mounting tension, some stakeholders, who spoke with our reporter, have accused the former CAN chairman, Rev. Isaiah Jirape, of orchestrating the confusion.

They also claimed that Jirape is working to influence the election outcome to install a successor who will allow him to maintain control over the association’s leadership.

His alleged interference, according to the critics, is driven by a personal vendetta against the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, who, Daily Post learned, in 2024 declined to reappoint him as Chairman of the Taraba State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board.

Since then, Jirape is said to have used his influence to undermine the governor’s preferred candidate, according to one of the critics.

Efforts to obtain comments from Jirape have been unsuccessful, as his phone remained unreachable at the time of this report.

The ongoing crisis has raised alarms among stakeholders, who fear the prolonged delays and internal conflicts could weaken CAN’s unity and diminish its capacity to serve as a voice for the Christian community in Taraba State.

Crisis deepens as CAN again postpone election in Taraba