A church service at the Christian Divine Church headquarters in Tarkwa New Atuabo turned tense on Sunday, December 29, as a dispute over the chairmanship position escalated.
Police and Apinto Divisional Area authorities intervened, halting the service and leaving scores of worshippers stranded. The intervention aimed to prevent potential clashes arising from a planned induction service scheduled for that day.
Apostle Ebenezer Boahen’s attempt to install his preferred successor, Rev. Francis Manu, as Chairman of the Christian Divine Church was foiled by the Tarkwa Police Command and the Apito Divisional area on Christmas Sunday.
This dramatic turn of events came after the Sekondi High Court ordered the Pastoral Council to hold elections for a new chairman, resulting in Pastor Alex Aidoo being elected with a landslide 97% of the votes cast on December 14.
However, Apostle Boahen allegedly conducted a secret ballot with just 11 pastors, electing Pastor Francis Ofosu Manu as the chairman. This has led to a contentious situation, with the church now having two elected chairmen and deputies.
The police and Traditional Council’s intervention ensured peace and order prevailed, preventing the induction service from taking place.
To resolve the issue, the Apinto Traditional Council has invited Apostle Ebenezer Boahen and all other parties for a meeting this Wednesday morning to work towards a peace process.
Meanwhile, the police arrested three junior navy officers who posed as soldiers to offer protection for Apostle Ebenezer Boahen’s induction service. They are currently in police custody assisting investigations.
Some church members stranded at the church’s headquarters blamed Apostle Boahen’s expired term and refusal to retire for the controversies.
They urged the church leadership to seek peace and unity to help win souls for Christ. Apostle Boahen’s term expired almost four years ago, and he has also surpassed the constitutional retirement age of 65.
A member of the church said “It’s shocking to hear that a church leader is allegedly trying to sabotage his own church. The fact that church money is being sent through mobile money without a bank account or financial board committee is alarming. This lack of transparency and accountability is unacceptable, especially for a big church like this.”
“Moreover, the leader’s refusal to step down after his term expired eight years ago has led to confusion and division within the church. The situation escalated when he conducted a secret election with 14 pastors, electing a rival chairman, despite the fact that 38 pastors had already elected a different chairman.”
“The question remains, is it acceptable to hold an induction service in secret? If past chairmen were inducted in such a manner, would this leader have become chairman in the first place? The secrecy surrounding this induction service raises serious concerns about the leader’s intentions and the future of the church.”
Another church member expressed frustration over the induction process, citing church regulations that require “a send-off ceremony before induction.” However, this protocol wasn’t followed, and instead, the member claims that “Apostle Ebenezer Boahen inducted a new chairman elected by only 14 pastors in Kaneshie, while 38 pastors had already elected Apostle Elect Alex Aidoo as their chairman.”
The member suggests two possible solutions to resolve the conflict: either maintain the chairman with the highest votes or hold re-elections to ensure peace prevails within the church.
