Bassey Ndon Music

EXPOSED: THE LIES OF THE AKWA IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT ON THE REV. YINKA YUSUF CRUSADE POSTPONEMENT/CANCELLATION

This is a public response to the press release issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Akwa Ibom State, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, concerning the postponement or cancellation of Rev. Yinka Yusuf’s “Uyo Million Man Crusade”, originally scheduled for 9–15 February 2026.

Rev. Yinka Yusuf made early preparations for this crusade. As far back as September 2025, he formally applied for and received approval to use the Ibom Hall Grounds. He paid the required fees, received confirmation, and proceeded with extensive publicity—posters, billboards, flights, logistics, and mobilization—only to receive a late notice from the government requesting that the program be postponed or cancelled.
The initial reason given was the need to accommodate another program featuring a Kenyan prophet scheduled for later that same week.

However, the government has now shifted its narrative, attempting to justify the cancellation by citing an alleged “outburst” or “vitriolic remarks against Akwa Ibom State”, based on selective excerpts from a two-year-old video of a Ministers’ Prayer Conference. In that video, Rev. Yinka Yusuf expressed concerns and called for prayers regarding issues such as stereotypical pride and what he described metaphorically as “crab mentality”—a call to spiritual reflection, not hatred.

The people of Akwa Ibom State and the Christian community deserve the truth.
The math is not adding up.

Let us examine the APICO letter and the Commissioner’s press release side by side and expose the inconsistencies.

1. THE “SECURITY” LIE
APICO Letter (27 January 2026): Formally cancels the crusade due to “the prevailing security situation in the State.”
Commissioner’s Press Release: Flatly denies this, stating the decision “was NOT based on any prevailing security situation” and insisting that the state is peaceful.
THE TRUTH:
Either the state is unsafe and the Commissioner is misleading the public, or the state is peaceful and APICO fabricated a false reason to terminate a valid contract.
Which is it?

2. THE “DUE PROCESS” LIE
Commissioner’s Claim: Rev. Yinka Yusuf “failed to engage appropriately” or follow due process.
APICO’s Own Letter Shows: Rev. Yusuf applied as far back as 29 September 2025, paid a full deposit, and received official confirmation.
THE TRUTH:
You do not receive confirmation or a receipt for a “full deposit” if you did not follow protocol. The government collected his money in 2025 and waited until 12 days before the event to suddenly “discover” an issue.

3. THE “DIARY” MYSTERY
The state claims it is hosting other “global evangelists.”
THE QUESTION:
Does APICO not operate a booking diary?
If the venue was already reserved for a Kenyan prophet, why did APICO accept Rev. Yusuf’s application and payment in September 2025?
THE REALITY:
A legitimately booked evangelist was displaced to make room for a preferred guest, and an old social media video was weaponized afterward to justify the action and smear his name.

4. THE TIMING TRAP
If the video was truly “vitriolic,” why was Rev. Yusuf not confronted in October, November, or December 2025?
Why wait until he had spent millions of naira on publicity, logistics, and travel arrangements?
This is not about hate speech.
It is about a coordinated attempt to frustrate a mission and a crusade program after the state had already benefited financially from the booking.

CRITICAL QUESTIONS THAT DEMAND ANSWERS
Why did the government collect his money if he supposedly failed to follow protocol?

Is Akwa Ibom State peaceful, or is there a security situation? You cannot claim both.

Why was a foreign guest preferred over a man who booked and paid four months in advance?

Why resurrect excerpts from a two-year-old ministers’ conference to judge and cancel a major crusade now?

Who resurfaced the video, and for what interest or benefit?

Is the Akwa Ibom State Government for the work of God’s Kingdom, or actively working against it?

Why was Rev. Yusuf not informed of these concerns earlier?

Why smear a preacher with prior approvals, full compliance, and huge financial investment—only to replace him with another preacher?

These questions are legitimate, and the silence or shifting explanations from the government only deepen public distrust.
This action reflects poorly on the Akwa Ibom State Government.
A formal apology is owed to Rev. Yinka Yusuf, and the campaign of misinformation and social-media smearing must stop.

Bassey Ndon, PhD
A gospel apologist, concerned and vocal citizen of Akwa Ibom State, visual artist & gospel musician







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