Information reaching 247ureports.com revealed that crisis almost tore apart the Church of God Mission International located at Umuola road, Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia state as members of the church were divided over their support for the governorship candidate of the PDP, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and his APGA counterpart, Dr. Alex Otti.
Sources told our correspondent that trouble started for the local branch of the Church when the Presiding Bishop, Basil Edohasim decided to delve into the Abia governorship contest while delivering his weekly sermon at the church.
Bishop Edohasim was said to have been so biased against the PDP candidate that church members who are the indigenous Ngwa stock protested against the continued criticism of their kinsman by the cleric.
The Bishop allegedly told his congregation when they began to murmur during one of his many criticisms against the PDP that they should keep quite because he is in effectively in charge. “I’m effectively in charge here. I’m the governor of this place. Everybody should keep quiet,” Edohasim was quoted to have said.
A member of the church who gave his name as John Ikonne said he was surprised that chaos didn’t broke out in the church with the manner Bishop Edohasim turned the pulpit into a campaign ground.
According to him, “The criticism and campaign against the PDP was getting out of hand. Every Sunday service, the Bishop will digress from his sermon and begin to talk about politics, campaign against the PDP. It got to a point that a lot of us who are of the Ukwa/Ngwa stock began to lose interest in his sermon.
“Can you imagine a highly respected Bishop like Basil Edohasim leaving his calling to talk about politics in the church and campaigning for a candidate? Many people, particularly those of us from Ukwa/Ngwa, lost interest in his sermon. This is unfair because the people he has been campaign against are the host community of the church.”
247ureports.com gathered that the situation broke the church into those for and against the Bishop with the Ukwa/Ngwa people who form the majority of the church membership, angry with cleric.
With Ikpeazu’s declaration as the governor-elect, another member of the church, Ikechi Ogbonna said they are waiting to see what tone the embattled Bishop’s sermon will take next Sunday.
