Election Of New President Divides Apostolic Christian Church Mission

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – There is fire on the mountain with crisis currently looming in the fold of Apostolic Christian Church Mission (ACCM) over the installation of a new President to run the affairs of the Ministry.

Reports emerging from the Church national headquarters located at 34 Omuma Road, Aba in Abia State, indicate that things are obviously falling apart in the once very peaceful setting with those at the top echelon going at themselves in their choice of a new leader.

Insiders conversant with the Church’s constitution hinted that with the death of its immediate past President, Reverend Apostle John Alozie Nwugbor, on October 26, 2021, two Apostles and some surviving Board of Trustees (BoT) members have continued to make out-of-line moves at installing a new President without following due process.

The insiders claimed that contrary to the constitutional provisions, the two apostles and their cohorts have gone ahead to fix January 7, 2022, as the convention date to install a new leader even before the late president is buried.

Piqued by the audacious action of the Apostles, the Church’s laity has filed a suit at an Abia State High Court sitting in Aba, the State capital, seeking a restraining order to stop the installation until the BoT of the Church is duly constituted in accordance with the Constitution.

In praying that the Court issues an injunction restraining the Apostles from installing a new president before the late president is buried and the BoT duly constituted, the Laity noted that the Church operates a seven-member BoT, with four members forming a quorum to install a new President.

But at present, only two BOT members are alive and can therefore not constitute the required quorum for the election of a new president going by the Church’s Constitution.

The suit is filed by Hon. Elder Godwin Nna; Elder Okechukwu Newman; Elder Hanson Amaechi; Eze Elder Prof. Sunday Owualah and five others, representing the laity as claimants/applicants against Rev. Apostle Paul Chukwuma Erondu, Rev. Apostle Ephraim Omeonu Akwarandu, and the ACCM’s incorporated trustees as defendants/respondents.

According to the Laity, the convocation of a convention to install a new Church president when the immediate past president had not been buried contravenes the Constitution of the Church.

In their submissions before the court, the Laity said; “That the Church being an incorporated trusteeship is a constitutional church and its operations as well as activities, powers, duties, and function of every officer in person, body, organ or authority are well regulated and run in accordance with the provisions of the extant Constitution of the Church.

“That by the provisions of the Constitution of the Church, particularly article 7(1)(j), a new president of the Church can only be installed by the Trustees of the Church after the burial of the late president.”

“That by the combined reading of Articles 6(E) (i, iv and vii) of the Church Constitution, only two members cannot constitute, act and carry out the duties of the Registered Trustees of the Apostolic Christian Church Mission”, the Laity maintained.