UMCN BISHOP NOMINATION: DOPAH LEADS AFTER THREE CONFERENCES

UMCN BISHOP NOMINATION: DOPAH LEADS AFTER THREE CONFERENCES

Hamman, Iliya trail as Southern, Central conferences await

By Our Correspondent

The nomination process for the Bishop of the newly created Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN) is progressing, with Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah currently leading the cumulative figures from three of the Church’s five Annual Conferences.

The results, as reported by Taraba News, are from the Northern, North-East and South-West Annual Conferences, while the Southern and Central Annual Conferences are yet to conclude or release their results.

NORTHERN CONFERENCE

The Northern Annual Conference recorded the following results:

Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya — 85 votes

Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman — 68 votes

Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah — 47 votes

NORTH-EAST CONFERENCE

In the North-East Annual Conference:

Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman — 137 votes

Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya — 90 votes

Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah — 33 votes

SOUTH-WEST CONFERENCE

The South-West Annual Conference produced the strongest result so far for Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah, who polled 363 votes.

The reported results were:

Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah — 363 votes

Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman — 160 votes

Rev. Eli Yakku — 106 votes

Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya — 32 votes

CUMULATIVE FIGURES

Based on the results from the three conferences, the cumulative figures stand at:

Candidate Northern North-East South-West Total

Phillip Micah Dopah 47 33 363 ,=443
Abainatus Akila Hamman 68 137 160 = 365
Eunice Iliya 85 90 32 =207
Eli Yakku — — 106 =106

DOPAH LEADS REPORTED CUMULATIVE FIGURES

With 443 votes, Rev. Dr. Phillip Micah Dopah currently leads the cumulative figures from the three conferences whose results have been reported.

Rev. Abainatus Akila Hamman follows with 365 votes, while Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya has 207 votes. Rev. Eli Yakku has 106 votes, all recorded in the South-West Conference.

However, the current figures do not constitute the final outcome of the episcopal nomination process.

RACE REMAINS OPEN

The Southern and Central Annual Conferences are still outstanding, meaning the standings could change when their results are concluded and announced.

The South-West Conference significantly increased Dopah’s cumulative total, while Hamman recorded strong performances in the North-East and Northern conferences. Iliya also recorded notable results in the Northern and North-East conferences.

Until all participating conferences have completed the process and the appropriate UMCN procedures are concluded, no candidate can be declared the Bishop-elect solely on the basis of the three reported conference results.

Taraba News will continue to follow the nomination process and provide updates as further results emerge.