● As CAN, PFN are “torn apart”
● “Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere” threatens to petition anti-graft bodies
●Real Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere dissociates self from impersonating “Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere:
There is confusion in the Christian Assocation of Nigeria (CAN), the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the entire Christendom over a purported N2 billion mobilisation fund given to the Church by the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.
The fund by Obi, as claimed, was to enable the Church in the country to mobilise votes for him in the February 25 ptesidential poll.
Pastor Frank Onwumere of the Dominion Centre International, Okigwe Road, Owerri, wrote the petition to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on the misappropriation of the said fund, with a threat to file official complaint with anti-graft agencies in the country as well as the Federal Ministry of Interior.
The Pastor vowed not to mobilise his congregants to vote for Obi if the share of his church out of the largesse was not released.
Pastor Frank Onwumere reportedly wrote the petition to the National President of CAN, dated, Thursday, 15 December, 2022 with an acknowledged copy of the petition stamped by the office of the CAN President dated Thursday, 22 December, 2022, which is now doing the rounds.
Entitled “Petition on the Misappropriation of N2 billion given by the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi to the Churches Under the Umbrella of CAN, Catholic Bishops and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to further drive his mandate during the Yuletide Season in Churches and to be received in audience by the various Christian Bodies across the Country, the petition has curiously been disowned by Pastor Frank Onwumere in an e-signed rejoinder.
Giving details of the money, Pastor Onwumere stated that the money was provided by Peter Obi to the Church to help in mobilisation of massive votes from Christians across the country.
However, Onwumere noted that the money was distributed judiciously and appropriately leaving some churches out of the largesse.
“We are appalled and disappointed that such humongous amount of money was given to the Churches by the Labour Party to help and assist in mobilizing and convincing their congregants to vote massively for the candidacy of Mr Peter Obi but to our chagrin the said money has developed wings and cannot be traced,” the petitioner said.
Pastor Onwumere stated that he had earlier convened a meeting with other churches which were shortchanged on the matter before taking the bolder step of writing and submitting the petition.
According to him, investigation by him and other pastors who did not benefit from the largesse indicated that the money was misappropriated by popular churches and pastors.
According to the petitioner, the money allegedly circulated among few mega churches and tele-vangelists of the Pentecostal churches.
Investigation also showed that while few Catholic churches confirmed knowledge of the said fund, many others denied ever knowing anything about the said fund.
Pastor Onwumere accused the mega churches of shortchanging the lesser known ones saying, “there is need to write this petition for the world to know what was going on in Christendom”.
He stated that though the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Winners Chapel and the Dunamis Churches had knowledge of the said fund, they did not take part in its disbursement.
Pastor Onwumere while confirming that campaigning in Churches was against the Electoral Act, alleged that some pastors were charging the Labour Party Presidential Candidate as high as N50 million to appear in their churches and get the support and approval of their congregants to vote for him in the coming elections.
He stated that since his church was shortchanged from the largesse, he would not mobilise his congregants to vote for Obi in the presidential election.
He also threatened to write a petition to anti-graft agencies in the country as well as the Federal Ministry of Interior if his church did not get its share of the largesse.
According to him, “this is not the first time such matter will happen.”
He urged the CAN President to call a round-table discussion where how the fund will be distributed judiciously and transparently among all churches would be determined.
But in a curious twist, a rejoinder by Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere is also doing the rounds. It came on the heels of the petition.
Read the rejoinder hereunder as published in extenso:
“Re: “Petition on the misappropriation of N2 Billion given by the presidential candidate of Labour party, Mr Peter Obi to Churches under the umbrella of CAN…”
“My attention has been drawn to a petition with the above subject matter purportedly written by one Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere of Dominion Center International.
“I wish to use this medium to inform the public, my associates, friends and family, that I, Hon. Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere, did not author the said petition, and did not authorize anybody to do so on my behalf.
“Please be informed that:
1. I am not a member of Dominion Center International and have never had any relationship with the organisation.
“2. The author of the petition is not known to me.
“Please be assured that it is not in my character to malign any person or institution, let alone revered religious bodies.
“Yours truly,
“Hon. Pastor Frank Alozie Onwumere.”
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