African Church suspends Primate Abbe over constitutional breaches
The African Church Management Committee has announced the suspension of His Eminence, Julius Olayinka Osayande Abbe from the Primate office over constitutional breaches.
Primate Abbe's suspension was communicated during the Church’s media briefing addressed by the Acting Lay President, Elder Pius Adebayo Sobambo in Lagos.
The media is themed: "Setting The Records Straight: Upholding Truth, Constitutionality,And Unity In The African Church’, touched on the ranging crisis within the leadership of the Church.
Giving a clear trajectory of constitutional mechanisms explored to find lasting solutions, which had proved abortive and necessitated a prompt decision on the way forward for the Church.
The Management Committee however, charged Church’s members and the general public to discern truth from propaganda, and to remain guided by facts rather than sentiments.
Sobambo said the Management Committee after due deliberation had invoked Section 134.3 of the 2014 Constitution to initiate appropriate disciplinary measures on him.
The acting lay president noted that the suspension was in accordance with the provisions of Sections 134.5 to 134.9 of The African Church Constitution (2014).
Sobambo said: "In accordance with Chapter IX, Sections 134.1-134.3 of the Constitution, Primate Abbe was served formal notice of constitutional violations, including:
"Sponsoring ineligible candidates (Section 112.1(ii)), Manipulating Conference resolutions (Section 131(viii)), Avoiding national meetings (Section 131(ix)),
"Shutting down the Secretariat without authority (Section 131(ix)), Issuing threats and intimidation (Sections 131 (iii) and 131(xii)),Reversing duly adopted Conference decisions (Sections 131(x) and 131(xii))."
Sobambo said Primate Abbe was given 48-hour to respond to all the allegations levied against him in which he had failed to respond within the constitutionally stipulated time.
The acting lay president noted that the crisis transcends individual personalities as it was fundamentally a matter of spiritual accountability and unwavering adherence to the Constitution of the African Church.
He therefore urge all faithful members and the general public to discern truth from propaganda, and to remain guided by facts rather than sentiments.
Sobambo said all genuine efforts toward reconciliation, dialogue, and peaceful resolution were made in good faith, but were consistently rebuffed by Primate Abbe and his loyalists.
He said the Most Rev. Augustine Afolabi Odufuwa was hereby appointed to assume, with immediate effect, the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Primate in an acting capacity.
Sobambo said Odufuwa shall so serve until the prevailing issues were conclusively resolved in line with constitutional and legal provisions.
He said the church reaffirm its commitment to Christ, to the Constitution, and to the future of The African Church.
The acting lay president prayed that may God arise and defend His Church and let truth and justice reign.
All efforts to reach the Primate Abbe to respond to the suspension proved abortive as call to his two mobiles lines were unanswered as at the time of filing the report.
Earlier in his open address, Oduduwa urged Primate Abbe and all those all aligned with his divisive agenda to retrace their steps, abandon the politics of
self-preservation, and embrace the path of peace and healing.
He said as a church, they remained committed to truth, to justice, to constitutional order, and above all, to Christ, the head of the Church.
Odufuwa said the media briefing was therefore, not only a moment of clarification but also a call to conscience, a call to return to the foundational values of sincerity, humility, and reconciliation that define their faith.
In a chat with newsmen after the conference, the Immediate Deputy Lay President Prince Debo Oduguwa raised some points of concern on the conduct of the suspended Primate Abbe.
“I think it is timely the Primate of the Church Julius Osayande Abbe in spite of his being aware of the orders of injunctions made by the High Court of Ilesha, not to hold the meeting slated for Calabar on the June 19 and June 20.
“We understand he is in Calabar now to hold that meeting. You see we don’t want a Primate who has no respect to the rule of law.
“We don't want a primate who does not believe in the sanctity of our system. We don’t want a Primate who will continue to violate the orders of court.
“One would have thought that a decent man upon being put on notice that there is an order of injunction, restraining him from conducting any meeting in Calabar or elsewhere.
“He would have at least respect the authority of the court and not overreach the decision of the court.
“So, for that reason the management of Church consider his actions as unbecoming of a spiritual head of the Church.
"So we have decided to put him on suspension pending the convocation of a disciplinary committee that will look into allegations of do many constitutional infractions against him.
“The suspension had just been announced and will be communicated to him and that will bring sanity to the system.”
Also speaking Right Reverend Motolani Olasoji Beckley the newly inaugurated Diocesan Bishop of Lagos Southwest Diocese, cited the required conduct of a leader.
He also reflected on the decision taken by the Church’s Management Committee same day he was inaugurated regarding Primate Abbe.
“I feel so delighted, and at the same time the decisions taken is for the peace and the progress of the African Church Worldwide today, for progress and stability.
“When talking about leadership, a leader must lead by example, in everything we are doing in this world, a leader must be someone that carries everybody along.
“And in a situation like this, the leadership must not take sides, a leader must be someone who is ready to bring lasting solution of peace to the crisis that any community, association, group or Church organisation is facing.“
Also present at the press conference were, Brother Bayo Ogundimu, who is the General Secretary of the Anglican Church; The Archbishop Lagos Central Diocese Most Rev.Dr. A .I Dawodu, Bro.ther Kayode Adegbesan the Immediate Past Gen. Treasurer.
Reports that His Eminence, Osayande Abbe was on March 22, 2020 installed and enthroned as the 12th Primate of the church, in a very colourful service at The African Church Arch Cathedral Bethel, 59 Broad Street, Lagos.
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