The Lagos State Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has denied reports that the National President of the fellowship, Bishop Wale Oke said the “Christian Association of Nigeria is inconsequential” during a recent meeting at the State secretariat of the fellowship in Lagos.
The fellowship made its position known in a statement signed by its chairman, Apostle Enyinnaya Okwuonu, and its secretary, Apostle Akinyele Akindejoye
An online medium had reported that Bishop Oke said the umbrella Christian body was inconsequential
But the fellowship in the statement noted that the report was a figment of the imagination of the reporter.
The body stated that “the General Assembly of PFN Lagos was held on Monday 18th September 2023. It was a delegates conference attended by accredited delegates from all our 21 provinces. Also in attendance were members of the State Executive Council SEC, State Advisory Council SAC and NAC and NEC Members of PFN in the state
“The National President who was the Chief Host of the event led other national officers including the Deputy National President, National Secretary, National Treasurer as well as the National Vice President South West. Also in attendance were the former Deputy National President and National Secretary.”
According to the statement the program was held in an atmosphere of love and warmth during which Bishop Oke gave a wonderful speech where he celebrated all the national leaders as well as PFN leadership in Lagos.
“The president particularly praised the Lagos PFN Chairman for being able to navigate the ship of the fellowship from the murky waters of politics in the wake of the 2023 political season.
While noting that the president made a proposal to create a new structure for PFN in Lagos State the fellowship maintained that “consultations were ongoing with National leaders and founding fathers of the fellowship.
Oke was said to have reiterated at the meeting that inputs from the stakeholders in Lagos would be taken into consideration before the proposal would be executed.
The body maintained that at no point in Bishop’s Oke speech did he say anything about CAN as assumed by the writer in the online publication. “One can only conclude that the allusions by the writer were mere conjectures and figments of his imagination.”
The Lagos PFN said further in the one-page statement that “The National President holds the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN and its leaders in the highest esteem. Therefore, there is no reason for him to denigrate the umbrella body for Christians in Nigeria”