‘Musama Disco Christo Church is not divided’
The leadership of the Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) at Mozano in the Central Region has dismissed rumours being peddled round by followers of its former leader that the church had officially been divided into two.
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According to the leadership, the church “is one and undivided”, and that the litigation it had was between it and its former leader (Akaboha), Prophet Miritaiah Jonah Jehu-Appiah, and not between two factions.
“All stations, pastors, prophets, priests and individuals who previously aligned themselves with the deposed Akaboha are warmly invited to join the fold of the one undivided MDCC.
Directive to stations
“In this regard, the church directs all stations to submit their assessments and other returns and direct all requests and questions to the leadership of the church as presently constituted,” a statement signed by the church’s General-Secretary, Rev. Isaac Bagyinah, and read by its solicitor, Isaac Okyere-Darkoh, at a press conference at the weekend at Mozano indicated.
He said any officer who flout the directive and orders would present the church with no option but to apply the appropriate sanctions.
Background
Giving some background to the issue, Mr Okyere-Darkoh said after the Supreme Court verdict on June 16, 2016, some people were going round with false news that followers of the former leader could continue to organise their own church.
He, therefore, said “All station properties still illegally controlled by agents of the deposed Akaboha must revert to the lawful custody of the MDCC. Any pastor, prophetess or lay person who organises an event in the name of MDCC without the knowledge and explicit instructions of the accredited leadership of the church is in contempt of the Supreme Court”.
On the removal of Prophet Jehu-Appiah, he said the High Court at Swedru on April 13, 2006, upheld a claim of the church, declaring the removal of the prophet as head of the MDCC as lawful.
Not happy with the judgement of the High Court, he said the prophet launched an appeal at the Court of Appeal and on March 26, 2009, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of the applicant (prophet) against the decision of the High Court.
“Dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, he (prophet) then launched a further appeal against the decision at the Supreme Court. On November 11, 2015, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the appeal by Prophet Jehu-Appiah challenging the lawfulness of his removal from office”.
Supreme Court
Mr Okyere-Darkoh said Prophet Jehu-Appiah then filed for a review of the decision of the Supreme Court given on November 11, 2015, saying that for some reasons, the application was not heard until June 16.
The lawyer for the prophet, he said, was compelled by the “flimsiness of the application to withdraw it”, and that on the submission of the church’s lawyer, the Supreme Court struck out the application of the prophet “without any liberty to come back to the court with a similar application”.
“Having struck out the review application, the case has effectively come to an end,” he said, and that an application by the church to restrain the prophet had then been rendered unnecessary, since the church now had a judgement perpetually restraining the prophet from holding himself as its head.