Leadnaija
The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Archbishop Wale Oke, may not be reelected as some senior leaders of the body, among others, are accusing him of non-performance.
Oke, who was first elected into office in 2023 for a two-year term, is due for reelection in February 2025 during the biennial conference of the body.
But those who are dissatisfied with his administration say the PFN has lost the vibrancy it was noted for under the previous leadership, especially under Archbishop Benson Idahosa, Bishop Mike Okonkwo and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, among others, and believe he should not be reelected.
PFN is the umbrella body for Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria and its members include the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) led by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, Word of Life Bible Church led by Oritsejafor, Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) led by Archbishop David Oyedepo, Deeper Life Church led by Rev Kumuyi, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries (MFM) led by Pastor Olukoya, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) led by Okonkwo, Church of Mission led by the late Idahosa but is now led by his widow, Margaret, Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM) led by Rev (Mrs) Mercy Ezekiel, House on the Rock led by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, and the Sword of the Spirit led by Oke.
The Fellowship is arguable the largest Christian body in Nigeria and one of the bodies that make up the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
In fact, some analysts say 60 per cent of Nigerian Christians belong to the PFN even though CAN is made up of about five groups.
Discontent
Discontent against the PFN leader blew open recently after one of the senior leaders of the Fellowship, Mama Margaret Idahosa, openly alleged that Oke failed to keep to promise although she said she had forgiven him.
The occasion was the 70th birthday of Oyedepo, held recently at Winners Chapel, where the Archbishop of the Church of God Mission described Oyedepo in glowing terms but ended her tribute by accusing Oke, who was seated there alongside Adeboye and wife, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, among others, of not keeping to promise.
In concluding the tribute in which she called Oyedepo an oak tree, a big elephant and a promise keeper, having fulfilled the covenant he made with her husband about 26 years ago, Mama Idahosa said: “Happy birthday to you sir, happy birthday to you ma, and happy birthday to all of us. Baba Adeboye (RCCG General Overseer), I thank you very much. Okonkwo (TREM Archbishop), I thank you very much, and Wale Oke, I have forgiven everything because he promised me and he did not come … but he is all under the lamb”.
Many senior leaders of the PFN who spoke with Sunday Vanguard echoed the Idahosa statement, saying the PFN National President’s promise to also keep the Fellowship vibrant had only been fulfilled in the breach.
“How much contribution of the PFN to national discourse have you heard in the last two years of the Wale Oke administration? This is a critical time in the life of Nigeria, and a crucial body like the PFN should be seen to be contributing its quota. But what have we seen?” one of the leaders said.
“When Bishop Oke took over the leadership, the PFN was vibrant. And Bishop Oke did promise to keep it vibrant as we had witnessed under Idahosa, Okonkwo, Oritsejafor.
“Today, nobody reckons with the PFN anymore because we have a leadership that is not pulling its weight. How many press statements have you seen from the PFN in two years? How many media appearances have you seen of our leadership? How many newspaper interviews? Everything about us just went into voicemail.
“Even our programmes, who attends now? Before the rot set in, high profile government were always willing to attend”.
The PFN leader cited the case of the Lagos branch of the Fellowship which operated without leadership for about one year because the national leadership appeared to have lost control.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that because of the perceived non-performance of the Wale Oke leadership, there is growing agitation for a new leadership in the Fellowship.
Meanwhile it could not be ascertained if those seeking to stop the PFN National President’s second term have zeroed-in on a particular candidate.Tap Here for the Full Story
