The leadership crisis rocking the Assemblies of God Church in Nigeria has
split the denomination into two factions, though bearing one name
“Assemblies of God.”
The North-East Zone of the Assemblies of God Church consist of Plateau,
Gombe, Taraba, Borno, Yola, Bauchi and Yobe on Monday declared it support
to the Rev. Professor Paul Emeka’s faction as the General Superintendent
of Assemblies of God Nigeria.
Spokesman of the Zone and District Superintendent of Mangu, Plateau
central Rev.Istifanus Ishaya, in Press Conference in Jos, Plateau state,
on Monday said the North-East Zone stood with Rev. Paul Emeka beacaue of
the truth and condemned in totality the purported suspension in strongest
terms.
Ishaya in company of clergies from the North-East Zone said the
suspension, dismissal and excommunications of Rev. Emeka on 6th March,
2014 were nulliffied, canceled, quashed, unlawful and rendered useless by
the supreme court Judges.
“We condemn in strong terms the concocted propaganda peddled around by
followers of Rev. Chidi Okoroafor that supreme court has declared
Rev.chidi Winner in the judgement of February 24 and therefore, he his
General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Nigeria”.
According to Rev. Ishaya the Press Conference is to correct the purported
propaganda aimed at inciting hate, bitterness and planting a seed of
discord in the hearts of both the clergy and the laity as a result of the
supreme court verdict of February, 24th 2017.
“We also condemn the lie that Rev. Paul Emeka was sent packing from his
official resident, its on record based on the judgement of the supreme
court chidi was never declared as the General Superintendent of Assemblies
of God Church Nigeria, and we are calling on Chidi and our brothers to
come to a dialogue table so as to resolve this shameful impasses that have
lingered on the fabrics of the church.”
Meanwhile, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in
charge of the 19 Northern State and Abuja, Reverend Yakubu Pam, had last
week in a press conference described the said judgement as “no victor, no
vanquish”, urging both parties to sheath their sword and embrace dialogue.
The clergy call for out of court settlement on the issues “we are not a
cult, we must belong to the other larger body of the Church; where people
must look into our matter. So I believe that dialogue is the only way
forward. Even in the court we may not have the justice that will bring
peace, but in dialogue we can be able to have peace among ourselves”, Rev.
Pam stressed.
The clergy noted with concern that “I’m so worried because I belong to the
Assemblies of God, i’m one of the leaders particularly in this Northern
part of the country.
“The judgement specifically on the 24th February, 2017, which was last
Friday; to me there was no victor, there was no vanquish.
He maintained that, “It was a very clear judgement that is taking the
Church back to where the crisis started, because the judges in the supreme
court, felt that the sermons that was delivered in the inception of the
case in the High Court, the procedures were not done well.
“And you know once they said procedures are not done well, they don’t go
into the merits of the matter.”
He revealed further that “what has brought this crisis is the issue of
suspending the General Superintendent, which the court said it tempered
with his right, which is not good; it illegal, but the would not say
something on it now, because they are not going into the merits of the
matter.”