Exclusive: Religious Crisis Looms In Lagos State As Bishop Oke Annulled PFN Election ….It’s Unacceptable, CAN Chairman Kicks

“Nobody can take Lagos from us. We’ll not accept that the election that was conducted and a winner emerged is cancelled. It’s not acceptable to us in Lagos”

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter may be thrown into serious crisis as its National President, Bishop Wale Oke, has announced the annulment of the election of Rev Dr Toyin Kehinde, as the chairman of the state chapter vide a letter written to one of the leaders of the Pentecostal fold in Lagos.

In the letter sighted by our correspondent, Bishop Oke adduced many reasons; such as the lack of awareness before the election, the rebuttal issued by some of the contestants that they were not at the venue of the election and that the council that ought to superintend over the election was not properly constituted.

Bishop Oke, in the letter, further directed that the incumbent Chairman, Apostle Enyinnaya Okwuonu, whose tenure expired in May 2022 to continue until June 30, 2024 when another election will be conducted.

But the Chairman of Lagos State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, who also doubles as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Bishop STV Adegbite, has described the purported annulment as unacceptable and an attempt to use the Church for politics.

Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone interview on Tuesday, Bishop Adegbite said; ” For us in Lagos, election has been held and anything short of that is not acceptable.

“And anybody thinking that they can use the Church for politics will be vehemently rejected. Nobody can take Lagos from us. We’ll not accept that the election that was conducted and a winner emerged is cancelled. It’s not acceptable to us in Lagos.

“The election has been held in Lagos, and Rev. Dr Toyin Kehinde has emerged. The Christian community in Lagos is saying no to another election. That’s manipulation, and we are not going to accept it, ” he fumed.

Sources within the PFN said some power brokers in the group are opposed to the inauguration of Rev Kehinde because of politics of 2025 and 2027 elections when some groups wanted to perfect their plan to oust the ruling party in Lagos state, a plan which Bishop Adegbite also alluded to in an interview with our correspondent.

The group, according to sources, would prefer that the current chairman, Apostle Enyinnaya Okwuonu, who contested and got only two votes, should continue indefinitely, despite the fact that his tenure had expired in May 2022.

Also, some young Christian leaders may be warming up for a showdown because of the annulment.

“If such heist is happening within the Christian body, how do you think we can be a moral compass that we ought to be?”

“Already, the election has been concluded, and a winner emerged. What else do these leaders want? Even the incumbent Chairman, Apostle Enyinnaya Okwuonu, has congratulated the winner. Also, Rev Kasali, who alleged that he was nominated in absentia, has congratulated Rev Kehinde and plegded to work with him. Many other Pentecostal leaders that our reporters spoke with have also congratulated the winner since the news broke last month. So what’s delaying the process? ” said a source who craves anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

Another leader who spoke to our correspondent said it is a flimsy excuse that the electoral council was not properly constituted.

He said this was this same State Advisory Council (SAC) that elected Apostle Okwuonu in 2020. “The same council has now voted overwhelmingly for another candidate. How is it now wrong? “he queried.