BROTHERHOOD OF THE CROSS AND STAR LEADERSHIP CRISIS DEEPENS AS COURT RESUMES HEARING, JULY 2
A Federal High Court in Calabar has adjourned further proceedings till July 2 in a lawsuit challenging His Holiness Rowland Olumba Obu and the illegal leadership of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
The plaintiffs in the suit marked FHC/CA/CS/34/2020, His Holiness Obu Olumba Obu, Bishop Effiong Ante Etim and Deaconess Christine William Okpala are urging the court to restrain Rowland Olumba Obu from parading himself as the leader of the church having not been appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 559 (1), (2) and (3) and Section 587 (2), (3) and (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act and Section 2 (1), (2), (3) and (4) of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star (1964) .
Other defendants in the suit are Bishop Enun Obu, Pastor Ebenezer Isokaoran, Bishop Emmanuel Obu, Her Holiness Ajah Olumba Obu, True Christ Witness Bassey Unaowo, His Lordship Bishop Biobarakuma Deji, and XT AMB. Uche Raymonds.
Others are His Lordship Bishop Emmanuel Esezebor, Deaconess Comfort Adebayo-Ijeh, His Lordship Bishop Irefin, the Registered Trustees of The Brotherhood of the Cross and Star and Corporate Affairs Commission.
The plaintiffs who are represented in the suit by Chief Robert Clark, SAN, also want the court to determine if the 12th and 13th defendants in the suit being the Brotherhood of the cross and Star and the Corporate Affairs Commission complied with the provisions of the Section 588 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act in altering and amending the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star which acted as the constitution of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star.
The plaintiffs want the court to declare the appointment of 1st to 11th defendants in the suit as trustees of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star and their subsequent confirmation by the Corporate Affairs Commission as unlawful, illegal and not in the accordance with the laid down provisions of the law.
The plaintiffs also want an order restraining His Holiness Rowland Olumba Obu and the 10 other trustees of the church from parading themselves as/and or carrying out the functions of trustees of the Brotherhood of the Cross Star.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs prayed for an order of court quashing the purported Memorandum of the Brotherhood of the Cross Star dated July 10th, 2003 approved and registered by Corporate Affairs Commission.
Meanwhile, findings by our reporter revealed that two children of the late leader Olumba Olumba (Ibum and Rowland) had been at loggerheads over the leadership of the universal church over time.
Top sources within the church informed our reporter a part of the church recognized late Queen Mother Ibum Olumba Obu, as the leader of the church and not Rowland Olumba Obu, whom the reporter described as a rebel who had no interest in the church while the father was running the church.
According to him The Brotherhood of the Cross and Star recognized late Queen Mother Ibum Olumba Olumba Obu, because she was given the attorney to lead the church by their father. Any other person who parades himself as the leader of the church is an impostor because the person does not have the mandate of the congregation to lead the church.
Our source further accused His Holiness Rowland Olumba Obu of promoting the division of the church by forcing himself as the leader of the church against the laid down laws that makes provision for the running of the church.
Rowland Obu has sowed seeds of discord in the church by allowing his interest to overwhelm him. He has been running the church as a personal venture and has pushed away previous principal members from the leadership of the church. Hitherto, he has no interest in this church.
He promised that the leadership of the church will do all within their powers to restore sanity to the church.
It is therefore left to be seen how this latest imbroglio to affect the Brotherhood of the Cross Star will pan out
