From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has shifted proceedings in the suit on the controversy trailing the appointment of the presiding pastor of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, to July 6, 2022.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had, on April 7, ordered parties to maintain the status quo ante-bellum, pending the hearing of the suit. On the next adjourned date, parties are expected to brief the court on the terms of settlement.
The suit is seeking to halt the confirmation of acting pastor of the church, Revd Tom Takpatore.
The Plaintiffs, Bayo Ajagbe and Gbadejo Adedeji, representing a group of concerned elders of the church, are claiming that the process for the appointment of Revd Takpatore was skewed to give him unfair advantage over his competitors.
Documents cited by Daily Sun accused the church leadership of failing to follow the church’s Constitution in its day-to-day activities, including the former pastor making himself signatory to the account of the church, a situation which made the elders demand that the handover notes from the former pastor be made available to members for scrutiny.
An affidavit sworn to by one of the church officers, who signed the extant constitution many years ago, is challenging the copy filed at the CAC as mutilated.
The affidavit revealed that the certified true copy of the constitution, which the faction led by Reverend Tom Takpatore is relying upon and contained in the CAC file, had been mutilated and no longer bore semblance to the one that was signed by the relevant church officers.
However, the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/432/2022, filed before Justice Egwuatu, has the Incorporated Trustees of First Baptist Church, Garki, Abuja, and current “acting pastor” Rev Tom Takpatore as first and second Respondents.
Following the court action, a reliable source within the church, who craved anonymity, told Daily Sun that a mediation committee was then set up to find an amicable solution to the leadership crisis and that, series of meeting held on April 15, 18 and 19, 2022 ended in a stalemate after the representatives of the church leadership refused to consider the terms of settlement of the concerned elders, but insisted they withdraw the case unconditionally.