A clergyman in the Christ Apostolic Church(CAC), Tabernacle of Love, Ikotun Ile, Kwara State, Pastor Adeleye Gegeoju, has regretted that the lingering factional crisis brewing in the church was affecting the morale and spiritual growth of members.
The pastor opined that this kind of crisis was not expected in any religious setting, saying time has come for leaders to stop running the church “like a political party”.
The cleric said these in Ifaki-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government area of Ekiti State, on Saturday, while commencing a one-week revival with the theme: ‘Let There Be Unity And Peace in Nigeria’.
Angered by the prolonged division in the church, Gegeoju said the crisis which escalated in 1990 would have been long resolved but for the recalcitrant postures of some highly placed CAC leaders, who were allegedly profiting from the internal squabbles.
The cleric reminded the church’s leadership that the solid and rocky foundation laid by the founder, Apostle Ayo Joseph Babalola, was being eroded by the crisis.
“The crisis started long before 1990, but that was the year it was blown open due to enmity among some CAC leaders. Today, there are four factions of CAC with each parading fake Certificates of Incorporation at Corporate Affairs Commission, different from what Apostle Babalola and other founding fathers handed over to the church.
“The Certificate handed over to the church in 1943 by I.B. Akinyele, Joseph Ayo Babalola and David Odubanjo bore registration number 147, but today, a lot of fictitious certificates are in circulation with their leaders laying claim to authenticity.
“If truly we are serving God the way Apostles Babalola, Timothy Obadare and Olulana Babajide did in CAC, then all these should not be happening. But I got a revelation that vengeance will soon come against the masterminds of this crisis.
“CAC is not a political party. Some leaders were even saying Apostle Babalola was from Odo Owa in Kwara, but the late CAC founder was from Ikotun Ile, which was a neighbour to the town. All these misconceptions and lies must stop for our church to regain its integrity.”
The man of God pleaded for unity in the houses of God across the country, saying this is imperative and pivotal to solving cases of killings, kidnappings and maimings of Christians by bandits.
“The Christians and their denominations are supposed to be united in prayers in Nigeria with the way we are being killed and kidnapped. We are now being subjected to persecution and rather than face these, churches are fighting each other.
“Whoever is dividing the church of God like a political party is not a candidate of heaven, this can’t take anyone to heaven,” he warned.