Leadership Crisis Hits First African Church Mission Over Alleged Primate’s 3rd Terms Bid

The leadership crisis in First African Church Mission, is far from been over, as the Primate, Most Reverend Sunday Matilukuro, has one again be accused of nursing a 3rd term/tenure elongation agenda.

This the Primate was said to be pursuing by influencing the choice of members to constitute the General Council to be elected in August 2024.

The Church’s General Council, which the primate is the chairman, is said to holds the key to his tenure elongation agenda.

According to some of the members of the church who spoke with this medium, who begged to be anonymous, said that the Primate is expected to retire in two (2) years time after completing his two terms each of 5 years in accordance with the Mission’s Constitution.

The church members also said some of the General Council members have vehemently opposed the Primate’s tenure elongation.

A few months ago as widely reported in the media, the Primate engineered the process to compulsorily retire three Archbishops, who are opposed to his tenure elongation agenda. And that despite the opposition to his move, particularly in the Eastern zones, he is bent on retiring any Bishop who is known to be opposed to his tenure elongation agenda.

The primary was also alleged to be monitoring the selection of delegates from various units by asking that the names be submitted to him directly instead of the past practice where the names of delegates are submitted only to the Secretariat for publication prior to the election.

He was also alleged to have caused division at the Christ Church Oyingbo branch, by ensuring his chosen persons become members of the General Council as against democratically elected delegates.

One of the sources within the church said: “In a new development, the Primate now wants to overturn an existing order which prevents members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) from contesting for elective positions.

“But Mr Asonye Nwachukwu, a BoT member from the Aba, Bende Diocese, in the East, and ally of the Primate now wants to contest for an elective post against the electoral rules. Asonye, from the Eastern zone is supporting the tenure elongation agenda of the Primate and that is why the Primate is seeking his endorsement to contest election.

“Ironically Mr Nwachukwu himself signed off this order in 2021, as the then General Secretary. But he is now colluding with the Primate to overturn the same clause which he signed off in order to illegally contest elections coming up in a few months.

“This is one of the series of actions being taken by the Primate to unilaterally decide on who is entitled to vote so as to fix the elections to go his way. He is also planning to change the order of elections and introduce new rules”, said a member of the church from the East.

Also, a youth member of the Church, who also spoke on the current crisis on condition of anonymity, stated that “the Primate has deliberately been causing crises in various units of the Mission simply to achieve his third term agenda. And he is fast loosing support across the Mission. He has caused big crisis at our church.

“We will not allow the Primate to mortgage our destiny* said another youth member of the Mission from the same church.

According to some members, elections to the general council have always been held without any friction. But the Primate has taken an unusual interest in this coming election with many intrigues, just to stay on in power. Whether he will succeed remains to be seen.

However, in a swift response to the tenure elongation, the Primate of the First African Church Mission, described the allegation as figment of imagination by those that are behind the tenure elongation rumour

The Primate, Most Reverend Sunday Matilukuro, in a text message sent to this medium on the matter wrote: “It is a lie from the pit of hell and imagination of the person’s heart.

“I affirmed to uphold the Church’s Constitution and can never go back on that. Please note that it is not from me and I cannot be part of it. Thank you.”

The Primate in a further response to the allegation said: “some people fabricated it. I pray to God to forgive them, because l am working as a servant of God, I am not any material gain, God is taking of me and am a man of integrity. Not even one day will be added to my term.

“I know when I am supposed to leave office in 2026, and I’ll leave office by the grace of God wholeheartedly and with good health.”