Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
South-East youths have urged the General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi to ignore the security advice by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and proceed with his proposed gospel crusade in Aba.
The youths who spoke under the aegis of Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, said the safety of Kumuyi and participants at the said crusade should not be the headache of IPOB.
Pastor Kumuyi in partnership with the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has scheduled a three-day gospel crusade in Aba from May 29 but IPOB advised him to shelve the proposal, citing security concerns “to avoid hoodlums infiltrating the venue to commit crime and blame it on IPOB.”
But COSEYL, in a swift reaction, said that the argument by IPOB “does not hold water” because socio-political and other activities have continued to hold even in the face of the alleged insecurity.
COSEYL in a statement by its President General, Hon. Goodluck Egwu Ibem, cautioned IPOB against dabbling into religious affairs, but to concentrate its energy on Biafra restoration.
The statement read in part: “In the South-East, politicians, political parties are organising their campaigns, people are doing burial ceremonies to bury their loved ones, white weddings and traditional weddings are going on and Emma Powerful did not tell them not to do their programmes and the same person is warning the General Overseer of Deeper Life Bible Church not to go ahead with his crusade. Something is really fishy in his statement.
“We are really surprised how Emma Powerful became so concerned about Pastor Kumuyi’s security. Kumuyi is a Man of God protected by the Most High God. It is not the business of anyone to worry about how Almighty God protects his servants. For Emma Powerful to suddenly ask the Man of God to call off his scheduled crusade leaves much to be desired.
“Emma may not understand the import of his statement by asking Kumuyi not to come to the South-East. Asking the highly revered Man of God not to come to the South-East will cause serious friction between the South-East and the South-West.
“We call on Emma Powerful not to make such statement next time concerning a Man of God serving the Almighty God. Such statement is not deserving at all.
“We call on Pastor William Kumuyi to disregard the statement by Emma Powerful and come to the South-East to preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to our people.
“South-East is very safe. Businessmen and women have been coming to do their business without any molestation whatsoever.
“We call on Emma Powerful to leave Christianity alone and concentrate on his agitation for Biafra.”
