By Dennis Udoma, Uyo
Confusion that is currently rocking the camp of the “Fathers of Faith,” a group of some powerful clerics in support of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s anointed successor, has taken a new dimension, as government is alleged to have ordered the demolition of three Pentecostal Churches whose owners have opposed the succession plan.
It was learnt in Uyo on Thursday that the affected Churches are The Holy Ghost Ambassadors Ministry on Ekpanya Street; Dunamis Church, Ikpa Road and the God’s House of Refuge at Ikot Ebido Oku in Uyo metropolis.
Fiery cleric and head of the Holy Ghost Ambassadors, Pastor Nyenime Andy, was said to have disagreed with the resolution of other powerful clerics drawn from different Churches under the aegis of the “Fathers of Faith,” led by Emeritus Prelate of the Methodist Church, Sunday Mbang, urging the Church to only limit itself to advisory role in the choice of the Governor’s successor.
The Fathers of Faith had met with Governor Emmanuel on the matter at the weekend during a breakfast meeting at Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, where the governor was said to have wooed the Church leaders with N50 million to support his campaign to install his choice of successor, but Pastor Andy and others were said to have opposed the position, forcing the governor to begin his campaign of intimidation.
“An honest advice that the Church should not indulge in politics to the extent of influencing Emmanuel’s choice of successor; that the governor should instead canvass for a home grown politician who knows the problems of the people is what has angered the governor to the point of fighting the body of Christ in the name of politics,” a senior member of the Church, who craved anonymity told newsmen in Uyo, the state capital.
“We have Methodist Church and other Churches along this same Ekpanya Street as well as NSCDC office along this road but why must the government single out our own Church for demolition for violating Town Planning laws? It is so sad,” he lamented.
Observation by this reporter revealed that the Chairman of Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA), Prince Enobong Uwah, has heeded the governor’s directive and duly marked for demolition the Church structure and other affected Churches.
The demolition notice reads: “The UCCDA during its routine monitoring exercise observed that your Church building located at 8, Ekpanya Street, Uyo, does not meet planning standards for approval. You have negated minimum requirements for such development. It is worthy of note that you are occupying/constructing an illegal structure without prior approval from the authority. The said illegal structure constitutes an offence and contravenes provisions of town and country planning law Cap 133, laws of Akwa Ibom state.
“In view of the above, you are hereby given 7-days notice within which to remove the said illegal development and reinstate the land to its original state. Failure to comply with above, the authority will remove same and cost charged on you in addition to any other legal action the authority may deem fit.”
To cow the cleric to submission, it was gathered from some of the Church leaders that Pastor Andy was summoned by the Directorate of State Services (DSS) where he was grilled for several hours to withdraw his position and apologize to the governor.
“We condemn and detest these despotic tendencies by His Excellency the governor in trying to force everyone to toe his line. When he came in 2015, the Church supported him and his re-election in 2019 under his ‘Only God’ slogan. Now the governor, using ‘That Same God’ as the new slogan in trying to install his successor, is directly fighting the same God in another guise”, the Church leaders noted and vowed to continue their worship to God on the debris of the Church, if the building is eventually demolished.
