We may tell them God and Jesus Christ are not at the same level if…
The Secretary of the dissolved Celestial Church of Christ Board of Trustees, Prof Bola Akinterinwa,has opened up on his next move after a legal tussle between it and the Pastor and Spiritual Head of the Church, Rev. Emmanuel Oshoffa, ended in favour of the latter.
Recall that the dissolution of the Board of Trustees by Oshoffa had sparked legal fireworks for five years at the High Court. Meanwhile, Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, had last month ruled that the Pastor could dissolve the Board of Trustees and Pastor-in-Council (P.I.C), and reconstitute another one.
According to the Head, Media and Publicity of the Celestial Church of Christ, Evangelist Kayode Ajala, the court held that “the Pastor is the Supreme (Primus inter pares) and Spiritual Head of the Church and can exercise unfettered powers in accordance with the constitution of the Celestial Church of Christ.The Pastor can dissolve the Board of Trustees (B.O.T) and Pastor-in-Council (P.I.C) and reconstitute another one, as it is an internal administration of the church that only the Pastor can exercise.The constitution of Celestial Church of Christ, as of today, vests authority on the Pastor. The plaintiffs can, therefore, not undermine that authority at all. All declarative and injunctive reliefs sought from the court are hereby dismissed.”
Reacting to the judgment, Akinterinwa, in an exclusive interview with Rifnote, said he had not received a copy of the judgment.
He stated that the intention of the BOT was never to remove the Pastor, adding that the content of the judgment would play a significant role in determining his next move. According to him, nothing prevents him as an individual from going to the Appeal Court to sue the Pastor or any other person.
He said :“The BOT didn’t go to court to say ‘remove the Pastor’. No, that’s not the issue. If anybody is saying what are we going to do, if the issue is to go to the Appeal Court, we can go.”
Akinterinwa added: “We don’t have the objective of destabilising anyone. But if the Pastor and anybody think we are wrong, or they want to make a fool of us, we may tell them God and Jesus Christ are not at the same level. It is as simple as that. There is still the case by Shonekan in Ibadan Appeal Court, which is seeking to remove the Pastor. We don’t support that. That’s more of a problem than that of the BOT. When we get the judgment, if the judgment does not indict me as Secretary, or does not paint my image, I will know. Nothing stops me from going to court again as an individual to sue Pastor Mobiyina or any other person.”