Desperate Measures to Retain Defrocked "Prophet"

The defrocked Prophet Jonah Jehu-Appiah, who was last week shown the exit from the Muzama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) as Akaboha III is marshalling forces to stage a come back as predicted.

Chronicle monitoring after his dismissal has shown that his loyal supporters led by Mord Jehu Appiah, his personal spokesman, and Rev. S. D. Kufie, general secretary of the church are leading the campaign for his reinstatement.

As part of the campaign, on Monday February 17, Rev. Kufie wrote a circular to all the branches of the church in Ghana and abroad debunking the suspension and subsequent dismissal of Akaboha as the leader of the church.

Before the circular was dispatched they had approached another leading traditional ruler and a bishop in Accra to intervene.

Part of Kufie's circular reads: By the grace, I write to draw your attention to the present confusion in the church resulting in the failure of the I'Odomey conference in January 2003."

Again, a meeting of the executives committee and the divisional elders (chiefs) also ended abruptly on Saturday February 15, this year.

Kufie's position runs contrary to the press statement by the church father, Rev. Offa, which confirmed that the allegations against Akaboha were found to be true.

"After carefully studying events unfolding about the nefarious activities of Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu-Appiah, the Akaboha III of the MDCC, almost all of which are true, I Jere Offa Jehu-Appiah, one of the children of the founder of the church, Prophet Jemisimiham Jehu-Appiah, Akaboha I, on behalf of the family of the founder removed the Akaboha III from office on Thursday 13th of February, 2003.

"This has been announced to him while the necessary rites were performed the next day at Mozano and the Oman was informed accordingly," the church father stated in his press statement.

Again Kufie's position diverged from a defence put up by Mord, when he spoke to Chronicle on behalf of the bishop about three weeks ago.

"My concern as the general secretary of the Muzama Church is that if this state of affairs continues, we will not be able to pursue our mission as a Christian Church," he wrote.

The shocking aspect of the letter reads: I have received several reports that many of the church members are confused because of the rumours that the Akaboha was suspended. "Fact is, Akaboha was not suspended. His activities however had to be suspended as per circular letter dated December 2002, because of the malicious press coverage."

The general secretary further wrote that the publication by Chronicle that Akaboha has been sacked as a result of his inability to defend himself properly over sexual abuse allegations leveled against him was untrue.

Following this circular by the general secretary, without the consent or knowledge of the five-member IMC and other executives and elders from whom he draws his powers, he has been served with a suspension.

The suspension letter signed by Rev. J. K. Addae, chairman of the IMC states: "By the grace, following the rumours in connection with the circular letter written to the various stations of the church that the allegations made against Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu-Appiah is not true, that I met you and confirmed same."

"Your behaviour betrays the work of the committee and for that matter you have been suspended indefinitely as the general secretary of the church", stated the letter. Chronicle gathered that following the move, Rev. Jere Offa Jehu -Appiah, Church Father and the General Overseer and the leader of the five-member, Interim Management Committee (IMC), the fifteen member oversight committee formed immediately after the suspension of Akaboha to run the Church were invited by the traditional ruler but nothing good came out of the meeting.

Also, a day after his removal, a meeting by the executive committee and divisional elders members was nearly marred when Akaboha's junior brother, Jere-Jehu-Appiah, superintendent of the London branch of the Church who was ostensibly flown in to help solve the Akaboha crisis, and others like Mord reportedly attacked the meeting.

Jere who recently stormed Chronicle's offices to plead with this reporter to drop the first publication after his brother Mord had messed up in our earlier interview openly rained insults on the church father and other elders who were attending the meeting.

Mord who is on record to have openly declared that, whether there was compelling evidence against the bishop or not, he was going to fight with his last pesewa to ensure his reinstatement, later joined Jere in the hold-up, Chronicle can report.

"In order to avoid any eventuality the meeting was closed," said a source.

Chronicle gathered that Jere did a similar thing when the church father and elders approached Akaboha last week to formally announce his dismissal to him.

In fact, people like Jere and Mord have done a lot more of disservice to Akaboha than expected. Instead of them to approach people with maturity they allow their personal egos to carry them too far and the result is what we are all witnessing," an aggrieved pastor whose daughter was seduced by the prophet told this reporter.