Mbang’s reply to Sir Sunday Udo Akpan

Sir Sunday U. Akpan
P.O. Box 358,
Uyo

Dear Sir Akpan,
Response to ‘having started in the spirit should we end in the flesh? God forbid’

Sir Akpan when I read your paper or letter addressed to His Eminence Dr. Sunday C. Mbang, CON, I was not disappointed but amused.
Only God and Sir Sunday Akpan know where this title came from. If it came from the writer, what is supposed to be the meaning of it? Since it was difficult for me to understand what the writer was up to, I decided to turn to the Holy Book for Wisdom. 

Prophet Zechariah told God’s children who must have erred and sought blessings from Him, what God desired: “So now, I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah… these are the things you are to do. Speaks the truth to each other and render true and sound judgment in your courts (Zechariah 8: 15-16).

Jesus Christ told the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”(John 8: 31 – 32).
Paul said to the Christians in Rome: “Love must be sincere, hate what is evil, cling to what is good” (Romans 12: 9).
The author of Proverbs says: “The righteous hate what is false but the wicked bring shame and disgrace”. “Keep falsehood and lies from me” (Prov. 13: 5; 30:8).
The author of Psalm 199 says: “I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law”. (Psalm 119: 163) and finally Paul addressed the Ephesian Christians: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour”. (Eph. 4: 25)
It is interesting that when Jesus Christ was tried by Pilate, Pilate had asked the question, “What is truth?” Pilate had known the truth, but he had allowed unrealistic, selfish, negative and irresponsible circumstances to make him blind. He later thought he had solved his problem by washing his hands. Poor Pilate!

But what is Truth?
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines truth as “quality or state of being true or accurate or honest or sincere or loyal or accurately shaped or adjusted” and true as “in accordance with fact or reality, not false or erroneous”.
And the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines truth as “matters connected with facts rather than things that have been invented or guessed”.
To this end, Moses fearlessly faced powerful Pharaoh of Egypt for truth in the freedom of Israeli slaves; Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace and Daniel into the Lion’s Den respectively for the sake of truth. Judas Iscariot played games with truth and committed suicide. Bishop Ambrose was fried for the sake of truth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died for truth and justice. 

As Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria, I led the Conference of Methodist Church Nigeria to establish conferment of Knighthood and other honoured designations for Methodist men and women of integrity, sincerity, truthfulness, honesty and people who abhor falsehood. These people were supposed to be people deserving of such honour because of their transparent character and people after God’s heart. They were considered successors to Patriarch Moses, Daniel, Paul, Peter, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego, Dr. Martin Luther King and Bishop Ambrose. What is the picture today? These sacred offices and others are now sold to the highest bidder. What a shame! Repositioning which was considered was God’s great gift to the church with Evangelism in the centre of things has been replaced with ambition, inordinate power and acquisition of wealth by all means and at all cost. Let God be the judge.

When I first knew Sir Sunday Akpan, I respected him and held him in great esteem, as an outstanding evangelist only to come back home to witness the other funny side of him.
Bishop Emmanuel Udofia arrived Uyo from Abuja to discover the rottenness in all respect in the Diocese of Uyo. He decided to put things right in the fear of God. He decided to audit the accounts of the Local Churches under him. What he got was the worst form of persecution. Was Sir Akpan innocent of this? Was not that the attitude and action of this Knight of John Wesley? If I have erred in this direction, God will forgive me. But God will be the final judge in this matter.
I tried in vain as the former Patriarch and Prelate of Methodist Church Nigeria for twenty two years to make the administration of Prelate Makinde adhere strictly to the 2006 Constitution in respect of:
i. The Special Conference and
ii. The Election of the Prelate
My experience will remain the best teacher and has gone into historical records.
Was the Special Conference conducted in accordance with the provision of the Constitution? For Sir Akpan, it was.
But let me remind this expert in management firstly what the Constitution directs:

(Section 90 (b) page 34)
“The Prelate may upon the recommendation of the Conference Connectional Council summon an Emergency Conference for a Specific Purpose” – the specific purpose, I and others belief was for the retirement and election of the Prelate. Let Sir Akpan tell the rest of us under God that this was the case. Let him also tell us that the Constitution was followed as provided.
Secondly, the Constitution that set up the Electoral College and gave her all power, provides as follows: 

(Section 201, page 72)
“The Electoral College is the instrument of Conference for making nominations and recommendations for filing vacant Episcopal post. It shall have the duty of screening eligible persons, and making appropriate nominations to Conference; such nominations shall be by secret ballot”.
Was the Electoral College given any power to amend the Constitution?
The Constitution also provides for how eligible persons should be nominated and screened.

This is what Sir Akpan said:
“As far as I observed the proceedings at the Electoral College, the Secretary of Conference duly compiled with Section of our Constitution by producing and making available to each member of the Electoral College, a summary of the Curriculum Vitae and other information of all the qualified candidates”.
This is the provision in the Constitution (Sections 491 & 492, page 170)
491 – The incumbent Prelate or any minister of Episcopal rank acting for him may nominate any Minister ofEpiscopal rank during the proceedings of the Electoral College.
492 – Any member of the Electoral College may also nominate any qualified minister of Episcopal rank to the office of the Prelate during the proceedings of the Electoral College.

It is really sad that Sir Akpan allowed his emotions and other facts unknown to us to becloud him so that “seeing he was not able to see”.Secondly, somewhere along the line, he must have lost his memory. What a shame!
The Electoral College members were given sheets of paper by the Secretary of Conference containing:

i. Procedure which the Chairman was to take
ii. A paper containing 10 names of Episcopal candidates who were 60 years and above, one of them was someone who was made Bishop last year with little or no experience in church administration.
Was this what Sir Akpan described as Curriculum Vitae of the candidates? This definitely must be the definition according to the expert in managing activities.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines “Curriculum Vitae” as “brief account of one’s previous career”.

It is likely that those of them in probably members of the secret unconstitutional Electoral College had copies of these documents. Other members of the Electoral College had no such documents. Let the Secretary of Conference tell us whether such documents were circulated in the fear of God.
St. Paul was right when he advised all Christians “to put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor”. 

Let me now quote in detail Section 470 (3) of the Constitution to show how falsehood has become Sir Akpan’s way life. Section 470 (3) states:
“Upon the receipt of the Prelate’s nomination any member of the Electoral College who so desire may also nominate a qualified Minister (of Episcopal rank in our case).Provided that the elector nominating shall address the Electoral College on the Suitability of the nominee and the Secretary of Conference may produce, if available the Curriculum Vitae and other available data or information on the nominee”.

Did this scrutiny or screening take place? Were any Curriculum Vitae, other available data or other information saw the light of the day?
In my reaction to the disregard and disrespect of the Constitution to all Archbishops, Bishops, Lay Presidents, Trustees and other important members of Methodist Church Nigeria, I had argued that Churches are guided in their activities by God, the Bible, the Constitution and Tradition.

The Methodist Church Nigeria tradition in regard to Section 470 (3) had been for the Prelate to nominate, then a member of the College will second the Prelate’s nominee. Other members of the Council at the directive of the Prelate will also nominate and be seconded. The elector who nominated these candidates needed to convince members of the Council of the Suitability of the candidates. Other members of the Council with positive and negative information on the nominee were given opportunity to give such information. Prayers were then said before voting.

Sir Akpan was a member of the Electoral College that elected me the Patriarch of Methodist Church Nigeria. I am not sure whether he was also present when the incumbent Prelate was elected. Let Sir Akpan, in all honesty, shame the devil and tell us whether both the Constitution and the Tradition were not followed to the letter in these elections. When Prelate Makinde was elected I followed meticulously the Constitution and Tradition set by the Church in the fear of God.

Sir Akpan is a management expert. Was the method use in the selection of the Head of Methodist Church Nigeria at the last Electoral College the method he councils? Don’t politicians and other bodies nominate and also screen their nominees according to the Constitution and traditions laid down for such elections? If not, what other methods are used?
Secondly, Sir Akpan sentimentality for reasons best known to him talked of washing dirty linen in the public. Is the church supposed to cover up her dirty linen? Why must the church carry a big log in her eye while judging people with speck in their eyes?

I was waiting for this Knight of John Wesley to point out to me and correct me where I was wrong in my Constitutional analysis. What kind of Knight is this child of God? Is his emotional outburst better than the Constitution and Tradition set down by Conference?

The Church which is supposed to be the conscience of the nation must be willing at all times and in all places, be it public or private, to deal with wrong doings no matter whose ox is gorged. The Church must produce members who must stand up for the truth no matter what. Methodist Church Nigeria demonstrated publicly some years ago against corruption in Nigeria. Is she willing to fight this disease in her Church? So help us God!

Truth is so important in all spheres of the life that Jesus Christ proclaimed: “I am the Way, the Truth”. When people in positions of authority misled the common people in the Jerusalem Temple, Jesus Christ publicly showed His disgust and anger against all those who were polluting the Temple. It is likely that this Knight of John Wesley would have admonished Jesus Christ not to wash the dirty linen of the Temple in public. But this Head of the Church behaved in accordance with God’s will. 

Let me remind the emotional Knight that any foundation built on shady and unsuitable material will not stand nor survive on rainy day.
The author of Psalm 24 had asked, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place” The answer was, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol, or does not swear by what is false”. (Psalm 24: 3-4)
Finally it may help all Christians in Methodist Church Nigeria to pray this prayer regularly especially Sir Sunday U. Akpan.

“Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life, I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, O Lord and try me, examine my heart and my mind… and I walk continually in your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men (and women) nor do I consort with hypocrites; I abhor the assembly of evil doers and refuse to sit with the wicked… Do not gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes…” (Psalm 26: 1-5, 9-10).


My Apostolic blessings


His Eminence Dr. Sunday Mbang, CON
Prelate Emeritus, Methodist Church Nigeria
Past President, Christian Association of Nigeria
Past Chairperson, World Methodist Council
Past Co Chairs, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council