Despite the Supreme Court striking out his appeal against his rival, Rev. Paul Emeka has maintained that he remains the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church, Nigeria.
The factional General Superintendent of the Church, Rev Paul Emeka insisted Monday that he remains the ‘authentic General Superintendent’ of the church, explaining that there was no judgment of the Supreme Court that removed him from office.
Reacting to insinuations that last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment in the appeal he filed over his suspension in 2014 by a faction of the church removed him from office, Emeka said: “There is no judgment of the Supreme court that removed me as the General Superintendent of the church.
“The reports being paraded is part of the effort by the traducers to take the church by all means and that is why, as the judgment of the court was being delivered, they were already planting stories and dragging the church property.
“The judgment of the Supreme Court never said I am not the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Nigeria and it has not said my opponent Chidi, is the General Superintendent. That was not the issue.
What we are fighting for is not for me to regain my position.
“What we are fighting for is part of the church they took by force, the property of the church they took by force. But you see they now went further to start encroaching on my position.”
Given further clarification on the court case which was struck out by the court, Emeka said he had gone to the apex court to challenge to decision of the Court of Appeal which had earlier nullified the ruling of the Enugu High Court, which in 2014 restored him to office as the General Superintendent of the church.
“However, instead of going into the merit of the matter, the Supreme Court had last Friday, struck it out on the ground that “the service of the court process on Chidi was not properly done in accordance with the order of the High Court; that the procedure adopted in filing the case was not the appropriate procedure”.
He added: “When a case is struck out, they are telling you to go back and re-file, put it properly and normal procedure. We are going back to the High Court. The case was not dismissed. The issue of removal of Emeka has not been decided. The court has not heard it. When they heard at the High court, the court gave judgment and the other party appealed not against the decision of the high court, they appealed on ground of procedure that they were not served.
“There is no order of court anywhere announcing a new General Superintendent for the church”.
Addressing several heads of the church, who gathered at his residence in Enugu, he stated that it was wrong for the faction opposed to his leadership of the church to start taking laws into their hands by “attempting to seize property and claims of legitimacy”.
Emeka stated that the ruling of the apex Court had amounted to the partial culmination of the three years old crisis, stressing that at least it agreed that he had the right to appeal his “kangaroo suspension as well as the unjust gathering where the action was taken without giving him fair hearing”.
On the sealing of the national secretariat of the church, he said it was part of the effort by the police to ensure there was no breakdown in law and order, alleging that some members loyal to his opponent had attempted to forcefully possess the place.
He appealed to his members to remain calm; assuring that the matter would soon be sorted out. Emeka equally extended peace overtures to the faction led by Okoroafor, stressing that “as it is, I am still the
authentic General Superintendent of the church.” 
