The General Overseer of the Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo and his church have been dragged before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NIC).
A pastor under the church located in Palm Street Assembly, Atakpa, Calabar South local government area of Cross River State, Domino Esang Mbang, had dragged the church to court over unlawful dismissal from the ministry.
Esang a graduate of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) said there is no issue if the church does not find his service needed, however, he accused the church of not following its mandate/operational manual.
The dismissed cleric filed suit No: NICN/CA/25/2022 against Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Adebisi Aboluwade and two other defendants.
According to Esang, he filed the suit against the cleric to seek redress and to enable the authorities of the church to know how he was treated.
He said, “I was a member of the church for over a decade before training to become a pastor. At least, I have spent more than two decades in the ministry, that alone makes me a son to our general overseer, Bishop David Oyedepo.”
Esang stated that a cabal made up of one Pastor Tamunotoye Chukunda and the state pastor Adeolu Adewumi sacked him unlawfully.
He added, “According to the church Operational Mandate before a pastor is sacked, he would first be queried with a letter and made to appear before a disciplinary committee to answer pertinent questions and thereafter be issued with three warnings before he can be issued a termination of appointment letter. In my case, nothing of such happened.
“Apart from the query that was issued, what followed immediately was a sack letter without availing me the opportunity to appear before any disciplinary panel. The cabals headed by Pastor Adeolu and Pastor Chukunda connived and were kicked out without following due process.
“The Mandate Book serves like a constitution of the organization, unfortunately, it was never followed, probably because they didn’t like my face.”
He added that the clerics responsible for his sack can not claim to be more of Bishop Oyedepo’s God sons than himself.
Esang disclosed that his salary has been stopped for a year, adding that he finds it difficult to pay his children’s school fees and other important things.
Esang who requested N350 million in damages noted that it would help him sort himself out.
The state administrative officer of the church, Dcn Taiwo in a chat with Leadership said due process was followed before Esang was disengaged.
“A query was served to him because of the way he was misbehaving. We are a responsible organisation, we couldn’t have sacked a man of God in the manner which he claimed.”
The case would be heard on October. 26, 2022 in Calabar.
