Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has expressed disappointment with the leadership of the First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja over what he said is the non-Christlike attitude of litigants in a constitutional matter.
The leadership of the church has been embroiled in a litigation before the court for more than one year now over leadership tussle.
Justice Egwuatu lambasted the church members, saying he was ashamed of them if, as Christians, they were not ashamed of themselves and could not sit to agree.
He said people go to church these days, pretending to be Christians, carrying big Bibles, but are not Christlike, rather fighting because of position and power.
The trial judge further said the person the multitude want to occupy the leadership position may not be the choice of God.
Making references from the Holy Bible on the making of kings, the judge said God rejected all those being proposed as king until David came into the scene, insisting that the one God wants may not even be among them now.
A visibly angry Justice Egwuatu said he had given the litigants enough leverage to settle and bring their terms of settlement before the court.
He said, if as a church of God, they wanted to dance naked by not agreeing to settle among themselves, he would open the case at the next hearing and give them the space to dance naked in the court.
Some ‘Concerned Elders’ of the church had filed a suit before the Federal High Court, against the Incorporated Board of Trustees and the acting pastor, Revd. Tom Takpoture, seeking the interpretation of the church’s constitution and asking that same be followed in its administration.
The matter got complicated when counsel to one of the respondents filed an affidavit presenting a grossly mutilated version of the constitution allegedly used by its former pastor (now the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention), Rev’d. Israel Akanji, for the registration of the church and its Incorporated Board of Trustees at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2012.
The Concerned Elders, however, insisted that the one filed by them in court is the authentic version, as approved by the Church-in-Conference in 1998, long before Revd. Akanji became the pastor of the church.
Earlier, Barrister Bassey Offiong, representing one of the respondents, had objected to the announcement of another legal representation for the Board of Trustees, claiming that his team had been the counsel to the two respondents.
Barrister Soremi, Counsel to the Board of Trustees, the first respondent, rose in defence of his appearance, quoting court rules that guarantee respondents the choice of who to represent them.
Hon. Justice Egwuatu, however, ruled that he would look at all the issues together at the next sitting and adjourned the case till 17 May, 2023 for hearing.
