Cracks threatening the unity of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Ugep Urban parish, Yakurr LGA, Cross River State, are widening after church representatives declared in a press statement that, the parish will severe links with the upper echelon of the Presbyterian Church in the Synod, over what she maintains are injustices meted out to the resident minister, Rev. Ofem Okoi, and the accompanying rancour leaders, high up in the church, are suspectedly perpetrating against the parish.
Chibuzor Peter Ebi, assistant pastor and Michael Ibiang, an ordained elder and Session Clerk of parish, during a press interaction, explained that since 2022, when the resident minister was posted to the parish, they have had series of problems The principal clerk of the church, prelate and synod Moderator, were fingered. “They have colluded to make our parish ineffective, giving us a lot of problems from left to right, suspending our minister illegally, and doing all those things that will not bring progress to the church, causing us to feel inferior”, Ibiang revealed.
“Recently, when we conducted ordination service for elected new elders of the church, the church leaders felt our action was not acceptable …whereas we followed the practises and procedures of the church. They came to the church and disrupted the event and further dragged us to the police – our minister was arrested. He was released and directed to report at the Zone 6 headquarters, Calabar. When we got there, he was labelled a cultist, a disobedient minister in the petition sent to the police. We went there and testified that all those labels were untrue …this thing is a transfer of aggression from principal officers of the church”, he went on to say. The defence of the minister by his parishioners somewhat became the unusual filip that saw this whole situation, land this ‘battle’ in court.
Those in the church, who have taken this matter to court, want the minister to vacate the parish, a position that has blooded the extreme positions of contending church forces.
Ebi on his part maintains that, “the pastor has violated no law or failed his ordination vows as a minister of the Presbyterian Church, not even as a Christian.” He came clear that since the minister has never been indicted for any offences in the discharge of his pastoral functions, democratic principles, which have not been embraced, must be embraced before any outcomes can be accepted. “If it is difficult for people to find justice outside the church, inside the church, something different must happen”, he emphasised.
At press time, several individuals alluded to, remain right lipped and refused to comment on this matter
Click below to watch full video
