The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, has thrown the full support of the Pentecostal body behind the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, declaring that any attack on Catholic bishops is a direct attack on the entire Body of Christ.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bishop Oke backed the strong message delivered by Cardinal John Onaiyekan during a recent visit by Catholic bishops to President Bola Tinubu, where the delegation bluntly told the President that “Nigeria is bleeding.”
Emphasising the Cardinal’s words, Bishop Oke asked: “Are we not bleeding? Are we not bleeding in Benue? Are we not bleeding in Southern Kaduna? Are we not bleeding in Gwoza, in Borno State? Are we not bleeding in Kwara? Are we not bleeding in Oyo State?”
The PFN President faulted the government’s pushback against the bishops, insisting that speaking truth to leadership is a moral duty rather than a political move.
“Should anybody attack a Catholic bishop for saying that? That is the obvious truth,” Oke stated firmly.
Dismissing attempts to divide Christian leaders, he stressed the unity of the Church across all denominations: “The Church of Jesus Christ is one. There may be many denominations, but we have one faith, one Lord, one baptism. The Church is one. If they attack the Catholic bishops, they are attacking the whole Church.”
PFN vows to break proposed bus preaching lawAddressing the controversy surrounding a proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Corps Act that seeks to fine bus preachers ₦50,000, Bishop Oke was uncompromising.
Even though the Senate clarified that the regulation had been in place since 2007 and was only re-listed, the cleric demanded that it be removed completely.
“We will break that law. Dear Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we will rather obey God than man,” he declared, sharing that he has preached in commercial buses since 1975 without causing accidents or public disruption.
He added defiantly: “If you want to imprison us for preaching the gospel, we are ready. If you want to make all the stadiums in Nigeria prisons, we are ready. We would rather obey God than man.”
Call To Leave OIC And Review 1999 Constitution
CityNews reports that beyond the bus preaching debate, the PFN leader urged the National Assembly to tackle deeper national issues, including Nigeria’s membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which he said was forced on the country under military rule without public consent.
“The Senate should deal with that and pull Nigeria out of the OIC,” he demanded.
He also called for an immediate review of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the document favours one religion over another.
“In that Constitution, Islam is mentioned hundreds of times. Christianity is mentioned once. And Christians in Nigeria are a little over 50 per cent of the population,” Oke stated, adding that the constitution was handed down by the “military jackboot” and does not reflect the will of ordinary Nigerians.
Bishop Oke doubled down on claims of targeted killings against Christians, accusing authorities of spending huge sums lobbying against such reports abroad while innocent citizens continue to die in Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue, Taraba, Oyo, Kwara, and Edo states.
He clarified that while Christians are the primary targets of extremist groups, liberal Muslims who reject radical ideologies are also being killed.
“The Senate should invite the Church for a talk. Nigerians are being killed. You are sitting there making evil laws. We will break that law,” he concluded.
He disclosed that while the PFN continues to speak out publicly, the fellowship is also engaging the Presidency behind closed doors to resolve the security crisis.
