The
deposed General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God church, Paul
Emeka, has sought the intervention of the Enugu State governor in the
crisis rocking the church.
Rev. Paul Emeka
Rev. Paul Emeka, the deposed General Superintendent of Assemblies
of God Church, Nigeria, is seeking the intervention of Enugu State
Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other relevant authorities to in the
crisis rocking the church in order to avert looming violent crisis in
the state.
According to The Nation, he told reporters Tuesday in Enugu that
the governor’s intervention, which he promised several times but has not
done so, was necessary due to the fact that the national headquarters
of the church is located at Enugu and has now become theatre of war.
The Church has been in crisis since 2014 with two General
Superintendents holding sway. They are Rev. Prof. Paul Emeka and Rev.
Dr. Chidi Okoroafor who now controls the headquarters after the Supreme
Court ruled in his favour.
Emeka urged the governor to advise Rev Okoroafor’s group and the
police to obey the latest federal High court order restraining them from
further taking laws into their hands to avoid breakdown of law and
order.
He described as laughable, the latest notice of “purported”
excommunication and dis-fellowship for life, handed down on him and 129
other pastors loyal to him, by the Rev. Chidi Okoroafor-led faction of
the church.
While dismissing the excommunication, which he said was the 6th
since the crisis started, as null and void, and of no effect; he stated
that the Church’s constitution has no provision for such and that shows
the desperation of some people who were motivated by monetary gain to
hijack the church illegally.
He urged the general public to discountenance the purported notice
of excommunication as published in a national newspaper, insisting that
he remains the authentic General Superintendent of Assemblies of God
Church.
Rev Emeka explained that the Supreme Court recently delivered a
judgment dismissing an application in which he challenged his suspension
as General Superintendent on March 6, 2014.
According to him, the apex court ruled that the respondents were
not properly served even as the matter was instituted through
fundamental human rights enforcement as against originating summons,
meaning that he should go back to the lower court and do the needful.
“The Supreme Court however made no order to warrant
enforcement, a development that made the office of the Attorney General
of the Federation in a legal opinion to declare that ‘parties are
advised to maintain status quo ante prior to the judgment and approach
the appropriate court for interpretation of the judgment”.
Emeka narrated that violent crisis ensued in the church following
the forceful takeover of the national secretariat of the church at Enugu
by the Okoroafor-led faction, illegally assisted by the police; and
further attempt to take over other branches of the church nationwide
including Kaduna state.
He said that this made the Attorneys-General of Enugu and Kaduna
states respectively to issue notices and advised the parties to maintain
status quo ante as the Supreme Court judgment was a “non-executory judgment” and
that the Supreme Court did not decide on the substantive right of the
parties and it is therefore erroneous for any of the parties to claim
any right arising from the judgment of the Supreme Court”.
Rev Emeka further stated that even when Enugu state Commissioner of
police sought legal opinion from the office of Enugu State’s Attorney
General, he was told in writing that “the judgment which you annexed is not executory and it did not confer any propriety right on any of the parties… and did not contain any order capable of being enforced”.
The embattled General Superintendent noted that besides, his
faction had obtained an ex-parte order from the Federal High Court,
Enugu Division, restraining security agencies from inhibiting them from
entering the national headquarters to hold their prayers and other
activities.
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