By Ayomide Otitoju
Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court sitting on Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday delivered a landmark judgment affirming the authority of the Pastor and Spiritual Head of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Worldwide, His Eminence, Reverend E.M.F. Oshoffa, and dismissing a suit filed by former members of the church’s dissolved Board of Trustees (BOT).
The suit was instituted by Most Superior Evangelist Samson Banjo and four others, members of the defunct BOT, against Reverend Oshoffa and four other defendants. The plaintiffs challenged the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees and the Pastor-in-Council (PIC) of the Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide.
They had urged the court to set aside all actions taken by Reverend Oshoffa in the administration of the church and sought declaratory and injunctive reliefs restraining him from exercising powers conferred on the Pastor under Clauses 108, 144, 146 and 154 of the church’s constitution.
In his judgment, Justice Kakaki held that the Pastor is the supreme authority (primus inter pares) and the spiritual head of the Celestial Church of Christ, with powers to act in accordance with the church’s constitution.
The court further ruled that the Pastor possesses the constitutional authority to dissolve the Board of Trustees and the Pastor-in-Council and to reconstitute them, describing such actions as matters of internal church administration exclusively within the Pastor’s powers.
Justice Kakaki also held that the extant constitution of the Celestial Church of Christ vests ultimate authority in the Pastor, adding that the plaintiffs could not undermine that authority. Consequently, all declaratory and injunctive reliefs sought by the plaintiffs were dismissed in their entirety.
Reverend Oshoffa was represented by a legal team led by Obafemi Adewale, SAN, alongside Sanyaolu S. Akinyele, Yinka Muyiwa, Ezekiel Agunbiade, Folasade Jegede and Rashidat Ajise.
Reacting to the judgment at his Magodo residence in Lagos, Reverend Oshoffa expressed gratitude to God for the legal victory, which marked the end of a six-year court battle. He also called for reconciliation, stating that his doors remain open to the plaintiffs and urging all parties to work together in peace and harmony for the progress of the Celestial Church of Christ Worldwide.
