AG CRISIS: PFN BENIN PEACE TALK PREAMBLE The General Superintendent, Rev. Prof Paul Emeka, and his group were seated. The team comprised two of his lawyers (Barr Obijuru and Barr Aji), members of the Care-taker Executive Committee (CEC), Barr Chidi Onuoha from Aba, and others. At the other side of the U-shaped table, facing the GS’s team were some members of the EC led by the Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Chidi Okoroafor. Others were Rev. Dr. Charles Osueke, Barr Abuka and others. At the arch of the table (high-table) were the leaders of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). OBJECTIONS The meeting began with prayers, and then the discussion followed. Barr Abuka objected to the presence of Paul Emeka’s lawyers in the forum, justifying his own presence by the fact that he was the legal adviser of the Assemblies of God. His reason was that there was the possibility of these lawyers using some contributions and points made in the forum to aid their arguments in the court. He was told that the letter inviting the two parties specifically advised each to come with its legal counsel. A high court judge, who happened to be the secretary of the forum, maintained that contrary to the view of Abuka, it was always best to have the lawyers present because they would draft the agreements reached. PRESENTATIONS BY THE PARTIES It was now time for the two parties to take their turns and present their cases. The leaders directed Chidi’s group to start. Chidi’s Group Rev. Ejikeme Ejim spoke for them. He narrated the story from the time that the Ambassadors of the Kingdom appeared to the EC. He showed how a deadlock was reached over the differing methods to be adopted in settling the conflict. While a part of the EC were of the opinion that the Ambassadors should come to be faced by the GS in judgment, others held that the EC should first look into the matter, since the allegations bordered on the projects and funds which were approved by the EC. That it was after the EC had looked into the matter that they could invite the Ambassadors. Then, because of this stalled progress, the 11-EC called for the General Committee of March 6, 2014. In this meeting, it was discovered that the GS had sued the church and immediately was suspended. Emeka’s Group Prof Paul Emeka spoke for his group. He spoke about the University, purchase of German house, money taken by the EC from the Assemblies of God Ministers’ Scheme (AGMBS), money donated to the PFN, the involvement of his brother-in-law in the hiring of equipment and other sundry allegations. He showed how all these transactions, including receipts and disbursements of funds were done by the General Treasurer and not by the GS. He tendered documents as evidence. The EC admitted that the GS did not in any way misappropriate or embezzle the church’s money. They said that their problem with the GS was not that he took any money of the church but that he did not carry them along; that he did things single-handedly or unilaterally, especially the changes made in the university. The GT gave an example to show how the GS never carried any one along in what he did. He said that at one time he the GT, AGS and the General Secretary travelled overseas, and the GS used the advantage of their absence to advertise the positions of the principal officers of the Evangel University (EU). The GS refuted this by producing the minutes of the meeting where the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the University took that decision. In that meeting, the AGS, G Sec, GS, Rev. Odii and other members were there. GS produced the minutes of both EC and BOT that carried all the decisions of what were done in the EU and in the General Council. They included documents and minutes carrying EC and BOT decisions on German house, AGMBS, PFN donations and all the changes in the University. APOLOGIES Ejim protested that he did not know they were to produce documents and evidences, and that he would have come up with lots of them from his car. The chairman told him that he could still produce them if he wanted. At this juncture, the leaders told us that they would want to turn their attention to the reconciliatory aspect, instead of dwelling long in the judicial aspect. They said that they were satisfied with the presentations made and the evidences tendered. They said that the parties must apologize to each other and to the church for allowing the matter to stress the church; that it was only when all the EC members and GS did that that they could go ahead in the reconciliation. They asked that it must begin with the GS as the leader, and then, the AGS’s party would do the same. The GS stood up and apologized to the church for being in the matter that had stressed the church. Then, AGS’s party apologized for stressing the church. They appointed Ejim to do that for them and he did. PEACE TIME When the time came for the long-awaited reconciliation, everyone became more anxious. The GS responded that he was willing for peace and also called on the other group to come back so that they would continue to work together and rebuild the church. On their part, Ejim spoke. That was after they had gone out by the permission of the PFN leaders to consult among themselves. They stated that they were not ready for the peace that the PFN was trying to broker, stating that they were going to invite the American Assemblies of God and African Assemblies of God Alliance to come and settle the matter. This view did not impress the PFN leaders who felt disappointed. THE VERDICT Speaking on behalf of the PFN, the National President of the PFN, Bishop Felix Omobude, told Chidi’s group that they were too much in a haste in what they did in the General Committee of March 6, 2014. He went further to say that what they did were not the kind of things that should be done to a man in the calibre of the General Superintendent. He stated that they should have been patient and taken time to lay hand on the evidences. The National President, moreover, said that they were highly disappointed by the publication of the previous day on some national dailies made by Chidi’s group, purporting that the EC had raised a motion which was seconded and passed that Rev. Prof Paul Emeka be removed from being a registered trustee of the Assemblies of God, Nigeria. He sternly warned them to stop putting the name of Jesus Christ to shame. On this note, the meeting ended. CONCLUSION The above narrative is an objective account of what transpired that day. The PFN did not in any way tell the GS to go and serve suspension. That issue did not arise at all. The object of discussion was not suspension but reconciliation. That theory is a mere propaganda and falsehood perpetrated by men that can be described as radio without battery. Such falsehoods are characteristic of the current crisis in the Assemblies of God, Nigeria.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 13:44:18 +0000
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