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Assemblies of God Church crisis deepens as both parties shun reconciliation

‘The truth about the crisis’ – Prof. Paul Emeka

The crisis rocking one of the foremost Pentecostal churches, Assemblies of God Church, lingers as all moves for reconciliation met a brickwall.

ENCOMIUM Weekly’s check revealed that several church leaders in the country especially. In the east waded into the crisis but all the peace meetings were shunned by Rev. Dr. Chidi Okafor and his co-travellers who still maintained that the suspended General Overseer, Paul  should vacate the seat for him.

According to our source, even the leaders of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) tried to broker peace but their moves met with brickwall as each party stuck its gun.

We reliably gathered that the church members have queued behind their suspended General Superintendent, Prof. Paul Emeka who they felt was unjustly removed for challenging the status quo. Consequently, they have retained him as their General Superintendent while labelling the imposed Rev. Dr. Chidi Okafor as a rebel. Thus, they have shut the church door against him as their leader.

On Monday, July 14, 2014, ENCOMIUM Weekly was privileged to get the side of Prof. Paul Emeka.,.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CRISIS IN AGN

I want to begin by clarifying the issue about the suits in court. I did not sue the church. To sue the church, it must include the General Superintendent, the registered trustees, and the general council of the Assemblies of God, Nigeria. I couldn’t go to court against myself. The people who were sued were individuals like the Ambassadors and 11 EC. They were sued in their individual capacity. These people through an illegal General Committee wanted to usurp the General Council, and no reasonable General Superintendent would allow usurpers to overturn things like the mess we find ourselves in today.

But even before the purported general committee of March 6, 2014, I had stopped the suit and it was abandoned. It went out of existence. On that day, the people mischievously sent somebody to search for the abandoned suit, which they read to the people. Based on that illegal act, they immediately pronounced an illegal suspension on the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Nigeria. That means that in spite of the fact that it was not a suit against the church, it had even been abandoned. The same thing applies to the human right suit. It is not against the church.

Some other persons sued against what the illegal body did and are still doing. In that, too, they did not sue the church but those individuals who were engaged in these illegal acts against the church. Nobody should be suspended for suing the church because these men, who carried out this illegal act were not the church. The people sued are about 19 illegal persons comprising the ambassadors of the kingdom and the 11 illegal EC.

These are not the church. To sue the Assemblies of God, Nigeria, the suit must include:, The General Superintendent, The Registered Trustees of the church, The General Council and The Assemblies of God.

In other words, it is rather the Assemblies of God, Nigeria, represented by the GS that sued to stop 19 illegal persons who came to destroy the church. I, as the General Superintendent, cannot be expected to keep quiet and watch these intruders come and destroy the church I am shepherding. It is unfortunate that they are trying to make themselves the church and are using the general council money to defend themselves, but they will pay.

NEW BANK ACCOUNTS

It is equally unfortunate that by now these illegal men have looted and spent more than N150 million of the General Council funds. They keep holding these illegal meetings with the district superintendents and treasurers from zone to zone, telling them how they would remit money to them. They have opened new accounts because I keep blocking any existing accounts I discover. They are mercilessly dealing with the General Council funds with which they service their numerous lawyers and members of their think-tank whom they quarter in various places to keep manipulating the church and the court with lies. They even forged my signature on a cheque of N9 million on March 18. Thank God that the bank alerted me promptly.

DEMANDS OF THE HUMAN RIGHT COURT ORDER

Rev. Chidi Okoroafor should not parade himself as the acting GS and also should not allow himself to be paraded or introduced as such. These zonal meetings that the illegal EC are going about holding are against the court order. Very soon, the law will catch up with them.

The district superintendents should not play host to them any longer. All panels, meetings, committees, in the name of EC, which is not chaired by me is illegal and therefore stopped.

If they invite you, do not go or honour it. Demand a written invitation letter signed by either the so-called acting GS or the general secretary. Such documents will be sent to me for onward submission to the court as evidence of their contempt of court.

They have no right to suspend anybody without me as the chairman of the meetings from which such decisions should emanate

This court order is attached here to arm you to resist their unlawful threats Justice is always slow; therefore, do not get discouraged if you don’t see them dealt with immediately. They must surely be stopped.

COURT ORDERS

Their lawyers are specialists in pranks, adjournments, appeals, lies, distortions and misinterpretations, all in a bid to stall this case. But the judges are taking note. The game will soon be over. The illegal group has deceitfully boasted and told people that the court cannot restore the GS or reinstate him. The purpose of the suit is not to reinstate me, because I am not out. I remain the legitimate and incumbent GS of the church, court or no court. The purpose of the suit is to remove the obstructions placed on my way by these illegal men; they are causing distractions to the church.

This human right court order confers full status quo on me. Any meeting not called by me for the EC is illegal. Do not respond to their invitations. If they continue committing contempt of the court order, they will be separately prosecuted for that. If you as a DS or minister continue to yield to their intimidations, you are the one enslaving yourself. If you receive any such threat, reject it and inform me.

If they were genuine, they would not have been doing what they are doing now? They are going from District to District, speaking against Paul Emeka. Their sermons and lectures are laden with defamation and assassination of character of Paul Emeka. After reading a passage, their sermon introduction, body, illustration, conclusion and altar call centre on Paul Emeka. If you ask them what Paul Emeka did, they would get stuck; rather, they come with very puerile allegations, such as he is proud, arrogant, stubborn, unteachable, and incorrigible. They find it hard to tell people specifically what the GS did; all they do is to defame and assassinate his character.

What they had alleged against me before March 6 was not what they discussed in the General Committee. They brought a new one and rushed into suspension of the GS. They could not allow me to call a proper General Committee to find out if I really sued the church. They equally ignored the constitutional provision that states that all that a General Committee could do if for any reason the removal of an officer becomes necessary is to recommend it but wait until the two-thirds of General Council in session ratify it.

THE ISSUE OF SUSPENSION

Suspension as a form of discipline in the Assemblies of God is designed to serve a spiritual and holy purpose and not to achieve political and vindictive purpose. The purported suspension pronounced on me on March 6, 2014 was the meanest exercise of discipline. It was motivated by hatred, god-fatherism, envy and opportunism. It fell short of a legal General Committee.

QUORUM WAS NOT FORMED

The body that pronounced that suspension was a wrong one. The so-called general committee did not have up to twenty unit heads out of about 105 unit heads. In other words, it didn’t have a quorum. In the roll call, according to the video, majority of the districts were absent. Observers were used as voting members. This was in addition to the fact that the process was wrong. The GS is the only one authorized by the constitution to call for a general committee.

IT CONSISTED OF WRONG PARTICIPANTS

The ambassadors of the kingdom filled the hall. The ambassadors were to participate only if their Districts delegated them to come. But being ambassadors did not automatically qualify them to be there and do business. Rather, they were supposed to be there as a party having a case with the GS.

Unfortunately, it was the ambassadors who wrote petitions against me, they judged me, convicted me, condemned me and punished me. They moved the motions to nail me. Members like, Ihukwumere, Mike Okoro, etc. These were the same people who signed the petition against me. Abuka continued to act as the Legal Adviser, not minding that he was a signatory to the petition written against me as the chairman. The Ambassadors were treated as men that had immunity to indictment and as above the law.

TIME TO TAKE A STAND

I wish to use this concluding part to challenge the unit heads, presbyters, ministers and all members to rise up and take a stand. It is in our hand to save this church; both history and our children will not forgive us for keeping silent and watching a group of presumptuous desperados kill this church, damning all consequences and desecrating all decorum.

I also wish to commend those Districts and brave individuals who have come out boldly to identify with this course. Join us to save this church. You don’t need anybody to tell you that those initiators of the General Committee are responsible for the calamities that have befallen the church today. They open their mouths wide to speak about Paul Emeka. To attract sympathy, intermittently, they interrupt their speeches by forcing out shrieks and cupping their eyes tightly to distil tears to convince their listeners that Paul Emeka has not even known Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. I here challenge all of them to an open debate concerning the funds of the church. That day, people will know that nobody can find one kobo of the church in my hand. On the other hand, the church will be surprised that many of my accusers live in glass houses and presumptuously throw stones. Their shady financial deals will be exposed. It is time for them to stop itinerating from one zone to another, talking of standard when they have no standard. There new theme now is “standard.”

What is standard when there are massive allegations of immoral advances to ladies from among the leaders?

What is standard when the names of ladies have been mentioned to whom sexual advances and compromises have been made from the leaders. What is standard when people are mentioning names of places, the young girls, the widows, the married and the unmarried, who have been relating immorally with the so-called leader or leaders? Both ministers and members are rumouring it. Is it how these men will lead a holy church like the Assemblies of God?

The people making these accusations of immorality against this leader mention the name of the leader, and they are willing to come out and testify if they are called to do so. What these leaders should do is to invite these accusers and purge themselves of these accusations before talking of standard.

What is standard when a leader takes advantage of his being in charge of money to unilaterally make purchases, award contracts, live bigger than his income can afford? Yet, they boldly accuse an innocent man without a single proof. According to the structure we have among the officers regarding bank mandate, among the four officers, a cheque with the signatures of any two is honoured. The GS does not have “A” mandate as to suspect that he can draw money alone. There is no account of the General Council that he is a sole signatory to. How then did he take all those funds that the ambassadors accuse him of?

Corruption and immorality must be dealt with before anyone can talk of standard.

CONCLUSION

The challenge I throw to all of us today is to rise and save this church. Let us rise and reject coup in the Assemblies of God. God will help the church.

-FEMI OYEWALE

Encomium

Written by Encomium

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