Pastor resigns over Kumuyi’s support of Tinubu administration
Dr WF Kumuyi
By Christopher Oji
A pastor of Deeper Life Bible Church, 84, Nnobi Road, Nnewi, Anambra State, Ogueze Venitius Chinyerugo, has resigned as the district pastor of the church on account of the apparent support of the general superintendent and head of the church, William Kumuyi, for the government of President Bola Tinubu, exemplified by recent comments on the administration.
Chinyerugo, in a letter dated August 23, 2023, said he was
resigning from his pastoral assignment following a viral video of the
superintendent of the church delving into politics by supporting the Tinubu
administration that he claimed has brought hardship on Nigerians.
In a letter addressed to the regional overseer, Deeper Life
Bible Church, Chinyerugo stated: “I write this note with great burden, bearing
in mind its far-reaching spiritual implications.
“I feel that our father in the Lord and our general
superintendent, Dr WF Kumuyi, have made a costly mistake and there is no way
for me to effectively convey my mind to him than resigning as the pastor of the
above district, effective from today, the 23rd of August, 2023.
“My decision was taken after watching the video, which I
forwarded to you, where he advised Nigerians to support the government and the
ministers, because, according to him, they will perform, especially going by
their antecedents.
“Honestly, I was devastated and felt terrible, humiliated
and disappointed after watching the clip. For the records, I became born-again
on April 10, 1984, as an undergraduate under the Christian Union, and later in
that year I joined Deeper Life, after months of searching for a church that
reflects the Bible. Why not? I could not have left the world only to fool
myself and surrender myself again to be deceived. I have not been disappointed
since I joined the church.
“God has so graciously used the pastor to mould my Christian
life and, of course, the life of many others. He has also, by words and
conduct, taught us to mind the kingdom business and to refrain from dabbling
into political matters. He had exemplified this teaching for several decades by
steering clear of political controversies, until lately.
“Most debilitating was his visit in 2019 to the President of
Nigeria then, Muhammadu Buhari, at a time when Nigerians, Christians, pagans,
Muslims and atheists, were wishing and praying for him to exit. While Nigerians
with their short memories are trying to forget that visit blunder to such an
insensitive leader, a tribal and religious bigot, our pastor has committed
another terrible blunder.
“He has recommended this present administration, in which
every detail about the administration is antithetical to the pastors’s
preaching. And this is while the presidency is still subject to national and
international judicial contests. As a mathematician, I wonder what mathematical
principle he used to arrive at that conclusion because my elementary arithmetic
taught me that zero multiplied by one trillion amounts to zero. So, on what
moral principle would this administration fight corruption? On the past performances
and quality of the ministers, I wonder if our pastor knows about Isa Bagudu and
many of the former governors.
“Sir, if I do not remove the speck in my very own eyes, then
I will be one of the hordes of hypocrites marauding everywhere in Nigeria. I am
one of those who vehemently criticise members of Catholic, Anglican and some
other Pentecostal churches for not drawing the attention of their own leaders
when they go wrong, hence my decision to resign. I am particularly let down by
the demeaning comments in the social media space, and, unlike usual, I am
silenced to defend him because the comments are correct! He has given the
enemies of the Lord the opportunity they are looking for to talk down on him
and, by extension, the church.
“All through the election campaigns, he maintained a
glorious and dignified silence, and we members of the church earned respect for
that. I wonder about the need for this comment at this point in time.
“I wish this message reaches him, but considering that the
office bureaucracy will likely make it impossible for it to get to him, I may
have to pass it to him through social media in the next one or two weeks,
unless he speaks to Nigerians.
“Thanks a lot for indulging my several irritations. I pray
for heaven at last for all of us.
“Supporting our leaders presupposes that such leaders meet
up with 2 Samuel 23:3, that is, ‘They that want to rule among men must be
righteous and fearing God,’ which obviously means that they should not rig,
kill and corner power by force, they should have a popular mandate to rule. Any
other prayer reserved for such leaders without the above qualifications is that
God should give us the courage to stand up against them like the people of Sri
Lanka. Since an Ethiopian cannot change his colour, praying for such people to
change and, maybe, become born-again at this point in time is unrealistic.
“However, since faith without works is dead, when we have
done all that we are supposed to do and there’s nothing else left, then we
should resort to prayer, since, with God, nothing shall be impossible.”
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