Adventist Church leaders send sit-tight Abia Pastor Uguru packing

By Sam Obinna Ibe/ Umuahia

The leadership of the Seventh Day Adventist Church comprising seventeen (17) districts that make up the Conference in Abia State, Saturday passed a vote of no confidence on resident Pastor Enyinnaya Uguru and members of his Executive and asked them to vacate their seats.

The Adventist leaders maintained that this was necessary because their tenure of office had expired.

The leadership of the Church also sealed off its Abia North residential Conference at Umuoriehi in Umuahia North Local Government Area over the refusal of the embattled Executive members to vacate office after the end of their tenure.

Irked by the alleged Sit- tight posture of Pastor Enyinnaya Uguru and his team, church leaders immediately after Saturday’s service sent the worshippers out of the church premises and locked the gate with padlocks.

Addressing journalists in front of the church premises, the Leader of the Umuahia/ Ubakala/ Umunneochi zone, Mr. Godson Chukwuocha said they have decided to put to an end the leadership crisis that has been rocking the Church headquarters for the past four years.

He further explained that members were assembled from the 17 districts that make up the Conference, adding that the Church decided to pass a vote of no confidence on Pastor Enyinnaya Uguru and his Executive team and asked them to leave office because their tenure had expired.

Chukwuocha said that Uguru and his executive had been occupying the position for the past 12 years and had refused to leave, as against the church policy of a four-year tenure.

He further explained that their tenure expired in February, but the Union, which is superior to the Conference, extended it to August after the plea by Uguru and his executive.

“The Union again extended it and expected them to organize another election and hand over to a new executive between Sept. 21 and Sept. 23, but they refused,” he said.

In his own contribution, the Secretary, Umuahia/Ubakala/Umunneochi Zone, Mr. Iroabuchi Alozie, said that the church has a policy document that stipulates a four-year tenure.

He added that today (Saturday) is supposed to have been the swearing-in of the new executive but however regretted that because they are men and women of integrity, they will not watch impunity continue in the Church of God.

According to Mr Alozie, the Secretary, Umuahia District,” This is the fourth year we are into this crisis and we cannot continue like this. We want to stop it now,”

The District Leader of Adventist Women Ministry, Mrs Priscilla Ogidi, stressed that the women had pleaded with Uguru and his executive to leave the office for peace to reign but they refused.

Also condemning the sit-tight tactics, a pastor in Umuahia District, Festus Uzochukwu, expressed displeasure over the leadership crisis, saying “This is God’s church and there’s no battle anybody can fight for God.”

He said that the people decided to come out to put an end to it.

As for Mr Eberechi Uwaoma, the Assistant Secretary of the youth wing in the district, the church hierarchy was aware of the crisis and had ordered Uguru and his executive to vacate but they didn’t.

“We did not lock our members out, rather we want Pastor Uguru and his team to keep off so that we can have our new leadership, people that can lead with the fear of God,” he said.

Some inscriptions at the gate of the church on the placards read: “Sealed,” “End of an era”, “We pray for a new era of unity, peace, mission mindedness and genuine spirituality” to mention but a few.

Meanwhile, the embattled Pastor Uguru or any of his executive members could not be reached for comment.

Worshippers said, sensing embarrassment staring them in the face, Uguru and his cohorts hurriedly left their residences in the church premises before the service was over.

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