Following the stalemate in the leadership transition of the Lagos Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, a group of concerned pastors under the aegis of All Pentecostal Stakeholders have called for a truce.
The body also urged the Chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Stephen Adegbite to stop making statements capable of destabilising the fellowship.
It will be recalled that some leaders of the South West PFN had organised an election that saw the emergence of Rev Toyin Kehinde as the chairman about one month ago.
But the President of the National Body of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke annulled the election citing improper consultations before the election was done. He had also asked that a fresh election be conducted in June.
But the stakeholders in a press conference addressed by Bishop Edoro Ighalo on Tuesday, March 26 said the drama that followed the conduct of the election showed there was some form of external interest in the fellowship.
Hand of Esau voice of Jacob
While noting that it is within the right of the PFN president to approve or disapprove the election, he said, “We suspect what is happening in the Lagos PFN is the hand of Esau, the voice of Jacob.
‘Some forces are bent on disorganising the PFN and make it look like there is a crisis in the body which is not true. Election has been conducted and the PFN president, Bishop Wale Oke has annulled the outcome of the election.
“What people don’t know is that the PFN president has the right within the law of the fellowship to approve or disapprove. He operates like a papacy. That has been the tradition. He annulled the election because he felt there was not enough awareness and that the election body was not well constituted. He is still operating within his power to annul the election.”
Ighalo however said it was worrisome that the CAN chairman, Bishop Adegbite took to the media to make incendiary statements capable of polarising the fellowship along tribal lines.
“This is sad and should not be encouraged. The PFN is not a political party and it is quite unfortunate that some people are reading meaning into the action of Bishop Wale Oke” he said.
He alleged that the language deployed by Bishop Adegbite in the press insinuating some people want to take over Lagos is too political adding that such should not be coming from him being the Chairman of CAN.
“Any inciteful statement is not acceptable in the body of Christ. What Adegbite is saying is not acceptable to us. We know how to handle our leaders and the PFN should be left alone to solve its problem” Ighalo said.
He decried a news report where some youths threatened to petition foreign embassies over some leaders in the PFN.
No crisis in Lagos PFN
In the course of the conference, Bishop David Odey, Founder of Agape Worship Centre stepped in and told journalists there is no crisis in the PFN as it is being alleged.
“If the election is conducted in June, I can assure you that if I have the opportunity to vote, I will vote for Rev Toyin Kehinde. The outgoing chairman, Apostle Okwuonu is not dying for any position. I am sure he has even congratulated Rev Kehinde. Nobody is against him. But people who have pecuniary interests are bent on using his emergence to get some credit. They want to manipulate him to make him feel they are the ones behind his appointment. They are doing this for political gain. That is why they must be stopped.”
We don’t want tribal sentiment
At the end of the conference, the convener, Apostle Bolaji Akinyemi said the goal of the conference is the unity of the church.
“We want an end to this tribal and pecuniary interest in the PFN. Nobody is against anybody. We desire to see to the unity of the Church and not allow impostors to make a mess of our faith.”
He said the stakeholders will continue to make consultations to ensure there is an end to the stalemate. “Whoever eventually becomes the chairman is not our concern. Our interest is that there should not be any form of ethnic colouration in the transition process. It is the body of Christ.”Akinyemi said.