Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) has moved to settle the legal battle between the leadership of the Divine Healer’s Church over the alleged failure of the General Overseer and the Trustees to leave office, even though they are above the retirement age.
The Counsel for the six embattled leaders, Mr Faustell Cofie, announced to the High Court, presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, on Tuesday, this week, that he has been approached by GPCC to resolve the matter out of court.
The counsel for the Plaintiffs, Mr. Bob Senyalah, however, indicated to the court that Apostle Adade has failed to meet GPCC with the excuse that he has been busy.
He, therefore, prayed the court to grant a short adjournment. The court subsequently adjourned the case to April 24.
It would be recalled that the six pastors of the Divine Healer’s Church dragged their General Overseer and five other leaders of the church to court to challenge their continuous stay in office.
The Plaintiffs – Apostle Daniel Mensah Attakpah, Rev. Philip Attakpah, JohanniesOllenu, Rev. Jonathan Nyabu, Pastor Solomon Amenyo and Pastor Ebenezer Nartey, claim that the term of the General Overseer, Apostle Isaac Kwabena Adade and other defendants-Maxwell Aryeetey Foster, Kenneth Ashaley Addo, Emmanuel Acquaye and Dora Edith Osekre have ended.
It is the case of the plaintiffs that “Apostle Adade attained the age limit of 65 years in 2011 and having remained in office unconstitutionally in office for a second term as General Overseer and member of the National Executive Council, which ended in 2016, the defendants have succeeded in their positions indefinitely by spiritual subterfuge, in the name of purported prophecies by Apostle Adade.”
They stressed that “Any attempt to challenge the purported prophecies is considered as lack of religious faith in God and belief in God’s word, in short and abominable act.”
The plaintiffs maintained that having realised that tension is mounting on them, the defendants, without any consultation with the membership of the church, engaged a lawyer to amend the constitution of the church to remove the term and age limits on election of church leaders.
The plaintiffs are seeking from the court, among others, a declaration that the continuous stay of the defendants is unconstitutional and an order to direct them to render audited accounts to the new leaders who will be appointed.
In their statement of the defense, the defendants argued that various amendments have been effected on the constitution hence their continuous stay in office.
They emphasized that according to Article 9.16 of their Constitution, “the retiring age of all serving officers shall be 65 years, nevertheless if in the opinion of the National Executive Board an officer is healthy enough to continue in the full Ministry, he may do so on contract basis subject to the approval of the congress. If a Minister’s health or circumstances will not permit him to continue in the full-time ministry, he may prematurely retire.”
