The process of electing a new president for the Nigerian Baptist Convention is yet to be concluded despite news making the round that Dr. Israel Akanji has been elected the new president of the convention.
A member of the executive committee of the convention who preferred anonymity told Church Times on the phone that what the committee did on Saturday, January 2 was to accept the report of the search committee which nominated Rev Akanji.
He said the report of the search committee has now become the report of the executive committee adding that the report will be presented to the general session in April for ratification.
The general session is a body of delegates from all Baptist churches in the country.
The source said it is safe to wait for the general session to confirm the election of Rev. Akanji rather than conclude that Akanji has been elected.
He recalled how the general session turned down the candidate of the executive committee some years ago noting, however, “We strongly hope that Rev. Akanji will eventually carry the day since he is the person we have chosen out of the three that were presented to us.”
The source added that the other two candidates presented to the committee: Rev Nkem Osigwe and Dr. Israel Olaniyan are equally qualified to be convention president in the event that the first choice of the committee did not sail through.
Giving further insight into the election process, the source told our reporter that about 1000 candidates were nominated for the position but that many of them were dropped along the line due to one reason or the other ranging from age, academic qualification, impact record, and a lot of other parameters.
He said the candidates were also subjected to both oral and written interviews.
Out of the about 1000 candidates, only the trio of Rev Akanji, Dr. Osigwe, and Dr. Olaniyan scaled all the hurdles.
Rev. Akanji who is currently the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja led the trio. He will however have to wait till April when the general session will confirm or reject him.
But given his antecedent and the impact he has made in the church over the years, there are no indications that the general session will turn down his election.
If he eventually carries the day, he will take over from Dr. Samson Ayokunle the current president of the convention who is also the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
