An Anglican priest of the Nnewi Diocese in Anambra State, Rev. Ogbuchukwu Lotanna, has explained why he quit the priesthood to support polygamy.
Lotanna said he received a divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy.
He claimed that the mandate, targeted at encouraging polygamy, was informed by the vision to reduce the rate of sexual sins in society.
The cleric, a lawyer from Mbanagu Otolo Nnewi, saud his new movement would be called “Gideonites” while the place of worship would be called “Gideonites’ Temple”.
He said he would set up a foundation to encourage persons in polygamy.
According to him: “Contrary to what is generally being preached, polygamy is not a sin. What God hates is divorce of any type, sleeping with another man’s wife and sleeping with someone that is not someone’s wife.
“God desired men to even marry more than one wife, instead of going for someone’s wife or ladies they were not married to.”
Regretting that the church had hidden the information from members for a long time, the cleric stressed it was time people were told the truth.
He encouraged men to marry their side chicks to escape hell fire, maintaining that the only thing wrong with polygamy was to stay in a church that was against the practice, “because two cannot work unless they agree.”
“It is obvious that the church, especially the Anglican Church, has been teaching against the concept of polygamy, but the Lord has opened my eyes to the reality that polygamy is not a sin,” he added.
The Diocese is yet to officially react to the development as at time of filing the report.
THE circumstance surrounding the alleged resignation of a priest in the Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) in Anambra State, Rev. Ogbuchukwu Lotanna, is not yet clear.
While some people are saying that his allege resignation is based on his position on polygamism, and divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy, other’s are saying that it may not be unconnected with alleged misconduct he was involved in which did not go down well with Nnewi.
Our correspondent gathered that Rev Lotanna, an indigene of Mbanagu Otolo Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area, was said to have received a divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy, but some other people close to his place of service claimed he may be involved in a yet to be disclosed misconduct the Diocese frowns at.
However, efforts to speak with the Diocese of Nnewi Anglican authority failed as the only person according to a priest who spoke with Sunday Vanguard on the matter, is the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi, who is currently reading his Presidential Address for the 3rd Session of the 9th Synod of the Diocese of Nnewi, holding at St Matthews Anglican Church Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area, of the state.
“As you know my dear journalist, nobody can speak on the matter concerning the purported resignation of the priest which you are seeking for clarifications for, you were in our pre-Synod press briefing and you are aware the Bishop of reading his Presidential Address today and I believe you must be in Ozubulu to take records. So Bishop who is the only competent person to speak on the matter if it is true, is the Bishop, whom I know may not be interested in responding to questions on that.
Credit: The Nigeria Lawyers