Methodist Prelate election: I leave them to God, says Mbang

The controversy that trailing the September 1 election of a new Methodist Church of Nigeria prelate continued yesterday, as the man that picked holes in the electoral process, Prelate-Emeritus, His Eminence Sunday Mbang, says he had no choice than to leave those who endorsed the election to God. Reacting in a telephone interview to his successor, His Eminence Sunday Makinde’s comments that the said elections were not manipulated, Mbang said: “I leave them to God and to their conscience.” Mbang, who cited several breaches of the church’s constitution, said: “One expected them to address the issues raised. But what did one see? A blanket endorsement of the process. “If religious leaders decide to cover such weighty allegations bordering on credibility of an electoral process, I can say that I leave them to God. “He was quoted as saying that the elections were unanimously ratified by the first emergency conference of the Methodist Church Nigeria held on September 1, adding that the Conference Connexional Council, which is the highest organ of the church, the registered trustees and the three legal advisers that met on October 4, commended the process and outcome as free, fair, transparent and credible. “I don’t want to trade words with anybody. I would rather leave it at the court of the Almighty God.” Mbang said they failed to respond to all the points he raised in his protest where he described the election as an ecclesiastical fraud of the highest order for several reasons. Makinde who handed over to the new Prelate, His Eminence Samuel Uche last week, said the election process, which was endorsed by the leaders of the church, including its legal advisers, was credible and therefore urged the secular world to emulate the church. He said: “The election was absolutely devoid of manipulation and fraud of any kind, be it ecclesiastical, executive recklessness, or otherwise.” Culled from Vanguard Newspaper