The Board of Trustees, Pastor-in-Council, senior clergy, women and elders of the Celestial Church of Christ worldwide have affirmed Reverend Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa as their leader.
This declaration was made by Superior Evangeslist S.O. Banjo, one of the chuch’s oldest members of the Board of Trustees at a news conference organised by the church’s National Headquarters at Makoko, Yaba, Lagos. The conference was to clarify some issues affecting the church over leadership tussle.
He stated that one Godwin Bolanle Shonekan, who declared himself as the pastor of the church, was ex-communicated for illegal and anti-church activities in 2004.
He added that on March 26, 2015, Justice A. O. Asenuga ruled that the self-proclamation of Shonekan as pastor of the church was illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.
He said the self-declaration of Senior Evangelist Omotosho Oshoffa to the “church pastorship or leadership of the church is fake, ingenuine, ill-advised and baseless”. Omotosho Oshoffa, was an administrative officer of the church.
He said there was no wrangling in Oshoffa’s family, adding that “the family is intact and effort is being made to reconcile the two warring brothers”.
Superior Evangelist S.O. Banjo said the essence of the court decision to declare that there was no pastor in the church was to allow its leadership to rewrite its constitution and find peaceful solution to its lingering problems.
The Constitution Review committee that is assiduously working on the constitution consists of judges, lawyers and senior clergy in the church.
Banjo said the Board of Trustees and Pastor-in-Council, which is the highest ruling council of the church, is making arrangements for the smooth, proper and peaceful running of the affairs of the church at all its parishes worldwide.