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Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The four-year-long leadership crisis in African Church has been resolved among aggrieved members following the intervention of the Osile of Oke-Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso.
The leadership tussle which started about four years ago reached climax in April 2019 when the Primate of the church, Bishop Emmanuel Udofia was asked to vacate office by May 2019 when he turns 60 years.
This reportedly led to face-off between the South South and South West members of the church which also led to the emergence of Bishop Julius Abbe as another Primate.
This further took an ethnic dimension, as the South-South leadership of the Church in the region allegedly ordered bishops of South-West extraction to relocate.
But, the Osile of Oke-Ona on Friday organised a reconciliation meeting between the aggrieved members of the Church in the Egba Diocese, Abeokuta area of Ogun state.
At the reconciliation meeting which lasted for four hours led to a communique where both parties agreed that Udofia should resume on 1st September, 2021 as the Primate of the church till May 2022.
The communique which was read by the General Secretary of the church, Eddy Orogun noted that each parties will produce seven-men committee to consider a written proposals from each side of the aggrieved members.
The Communique further agreed that Primate Abbe will take over from Udofia after his retirement in 2022.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the reconciliation meeting, the Osile said it was the spirit of God that guide and propel him to ensure the coming together of the aggrieved Church members.
Oba Tejuoso however revealed that all the committees will present their reports which will be harmonised at the meeting that will be held in Abuja in 26th August, 2021.
He added, “without God there is nothing any body can do, ones God is there you can be sure it will Suceed, I am not the one doing it, it is the spirit of God that is guiding me and propelling me, on what to do and I thank God that I have the spirit in me and I recommend the same spirit to you, if we all have that spirit in Nigeria will be a better place today.
“Jesus Christ came to this world for reconciliation, he gave us the spirit of reconciliation and why should we be quarelling, fighting, God himself we offended him and he didn’t wait for us to come to heaven to beg, he himself sent his son to be killed for our own sake, why can’t we have the same spirit.”
In his reaction, Primate Julius Abbe expressed satisfaction over the reconciliation meeting.
Bishop Abbe described the reconciliation of the aggrieved church members as a settlement of family issues.
He further said,” I thank God that all that started well as ended well, it is not easy that when there is an issue in a family that each one goes apart, however wherever that happens it is the will of God that they come together and that is what we have done today, we give glory to God.
“By the grace of God the church has reunited and become one, the African Church becoming one means we have come out of this problem bigger and better.”
