The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, has categorically debunked the claim made by the President of The Word Commission International and The Word Assembly Church, Rev. Isaac Omolehin, that he is being persecuted by the PFN Organization. In a long statement made available to the public by the PFN’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Sylvanus Ukafia, the Christian group clarified that the directive barring some ministers of the gospel from preaching in churches did not emanate from it.
Recall that Rev. Isaac Omolehin had earlier alleged that he is being persecuted by PFN as it barred him from ministering in any Pentecostal churches, nationally and internationally. He made the revelation while addressing a congregation on how he met Apostle Arome Osayi.
According to him, he does hear about Arome Osayi, but he has not been able to meet him until sometime in the United States.
“I have been hearing of Apostle Arome for the past few years, but only last month, I met him in the United States. It was after then that I began to hear about the name of his ministry.”
Speaking further, he revealed that at that moment that he met him in the foreign country, they had some dialogues. He, in the course of that, revealed how he is being persecuted by PFN churches in Nigeria, both locally and internationally.
He said, “I was sharing with him the persecution I am experiencing from the churches in Nigeria. I spoke to him how I went to Canada to speak; I was invited; I didn’t just go. And I was told to buy my ticket when I came and that when they were giving me honorarium, they will package my ticket and put everything together. When I went there, they told me that they got an instruction from Nigeria that I should not be allowed to preach. I was turned back. I spent $8,000. That’s N16 millions naira because I flew business class. They didn’t give me the money.”
He also narrated that on another occasion, he went to Cape Town in South Africa, and a similar thing occurred. The pastor of that church, according to him, prevented the PFN directive, believing that the group would excommunicate him.
He said that when he told Arome Osayi the persecution he was facing among the Nigerian churches; how they went from nation to nation to waste his time and money, disgracing him all around, he responded that he had been in the same thing. The cleric said that it was that moment that he had a relief, knowing that he was not the only one in the shoe.
Responding, PFN says it has no knowledge of the persecution. It distanced itself from the purported order, seeking Rev. Isaac’s hand in investigating the matter.
The PFN categorically states that “At no time— in Canada, Cape Town, Nigeria, or anywhere else in the world– did the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria issue a directive, formal or informal, instructing any church or minister to stop Rev. Isaac Omolehin, or any other minister, from preaching the Gospel.”
The PFN says that it is not aware of the events described by the cleric and clearly refutes any involvement or even complicity.
While highlighting the essence of its existence, PFN says that it has the primary objective to take the Gospel to the farthest and furthest parts of the Earth in line with the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Therefore, it is not in the mandate of PFN to bar any minister from preaching.
PFN, on a further note, seeks the hands of the cleric in question to investigate the issue once and for all for the sake of fairness, truth, and justice.
The Christian group reiterates its readiness to investigate the matter, respectfully requesting the proof of the matter. “We believe he may have been misinformed or misled,” it says.
PFN requests that for the sake of truth and fairness, Rev. Isaac’s proof must contain the names of the churches and the individuals involved and any written or recorded evidence that links the group to the directives.
It, therefore, wishes Rev. Isaac well in his ministry and endeavor.
On social media, the revelation made by Rev. Isaac has become a controversy, with many requesting that he should reveal the names of the individuals and churches involved. Many also consider that Rev. Isaac is hated by some Pentecostal leaders and clerics owing to his past controversial statements against their respective denominations.
While many hope the issue is diligently investigated and reconciliations are made as soon as possible, the development is yet a clear indication of the dark sides among top Pentecostal church leaders.
