Assemblies Of God Crisis: Okoroafor Faction To Appeal Court Ruling

THE faction of the Assemblies of God Church Nigeria, led by Dr. Chidi
Okoroafor, will appeal a recent court decision, which ruled that Rev.
Paul Emeka remains the authentic General Superintendent of the church;
and that Okoroafor should stop parading himself as Acting General
Superintendent (GS).

The ruling had declared null and void a purported meeting held on
March 6, presided by the retired General Superintendent of the Church,
Rev. Charles Osueke, where he (Emeka) was allegedly suspended from
office, even as it ordered those occupying any of the offices
illegally on account of the suspension to vacate them without further
delay.

The court presided by Justice Anthony Onovo had held that Emeka was
never removed as the General Superintendent of the church, stressing
that the meeting that took the decision was illegal because it was
convoked without regards to the constitution of the church or law.

Okoroafor insisted that the ruling of the court centred on when he
was acting GS, stressing that the church had since held a convention
in which he was elected as the substantive GS.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Owerri, Imo State, he said the
tenure of Emeka ended in October, and that he (Okoroafor) was elected
by about 8,000 delegates of the Assemblies.

He said: "It is clear that the church is marching on. I was voted in
a single nomination. I am no more acting. After the election, I became
the GS. This church is moving on. The sweat of our founding fathers
cannot be destroyed. They (those who attended the meeting) instructed
the legal team to appeal. The church rejects the Enugu High Court
ruling.

"The Assemblies of God started n Umuahia. It still reserves the right
to remove the headquarters from Enugu. But we have not done that. The
AG believes in two-third majority. The crisis has revealed that we
have masquerades in the church. This is our time of crisis; we shall
overcome it. We shall come out of it 10 times better."
--vofn