Lawrence Ekwok, The Business Man In Religious Toga
Politics Thursday, March 9th, 2023
On Monday 5th March, 2023, Cross Riverians were shocked to read on social media, the public trading and commercialization of the gospel by some business men who parade our streets and ascend our holy temples to minister to the people.
Lawrence Ekwok, a ‘place holder’ PFN chairman in Cross River State who has been rumored to have sold the birth right of the church of Jesus Christ for a plate of porridge was said to have received a paltry N5 million from the governorship candidate of the factional People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the state. Apart from the financial inducement, Mr. Ekwok is also reported to have received a black coloured 350 Lexus model four wheel drive.
Well, to many who do not know Mr. Ekwok, such shameful and embarrassing allegation may come as a surprise, but for those of us who know him very well, the news only reinforced our definition of who he is.
In 2018, during the Great Gospel Crusade hosted by Cfan, a non denominational religious organization founded by the late World renowned Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, which was at the time headed by Daniel Kolenda, Rev. Lawrence Ekwok was accused by some pastors who were either heads or members of the various committees put together to facilitate the success of the Crusade. The pastors and church leaders accused Rev. Ekwok of misappropriating funds meant for the crusade running into several millions of naira. He was also accused of pocketing funds meant to be given to media houses as PR. It took the special intervention of Rev. John Darku, the Africa director of Cfan to calm aggrieved members and church leaders down.
It is important to note that, what qualifies anyone to become a bonafide member of the PFN is that such a person must be a church founder, so it will therefore, be safe to say that membership of PFN is by cooperate entities, in this case religious organization, registered by law and not individuals. The big question therefore is, how did Lawrence Ekwok who is not a Church founder found his way into the leadership hierarchy of the PFN?
It is sad that his supposed spiritual father, Rev. Nick Eze, who has no stake or link in the state has been busy watching the macabre dance his prodigal son has been displaying. It is rift that Rev. Ekwok who is not a church founder found his way into the office of the PFN chairman through his spiritual father, Rev. Nick Eze who requested Ekwok to stand in for him as a placeholder while a lingering leadership issue within the religious body was awaiting resolution.
Before anyone could realize, Rev. Ekwok had conducted election that saw him emerge as chairman for the first term and again for another term.
Rev. Ekwok whose tenure had since expired in November, 2022, sensing that the general election would be a great avenue to milk political actors of money, he decided to stay put by refusing to conduct another election that will bring in a new leadership.
It has also been said that Rev Ekwok is one of those seriously working together with some of his colleagues who are staff of the University of Calabar to sabotage the effort of INEC and suffocate the collective will of the people.
Within the University community, several women, both married and single have been sharing their personal testimony of how God saved them from the hands of Rev. Ekwok, reputed to be a chronic womanizer.
Therefore, it was not surprising when, Ekwok and his 32 advisory council co-conspirators out of almost 70 member team to cajoled the PDP candidate, forcing him to part with his lean resources. What is clear is that Ekwok lacks the grace and anointing to know the mind of God at this time. A Man of God is supposed to be discerning. It is rather clear that Ekwok and his gang of greedy lots are operating as business Men on religious toga..it is obvious that like it was in the days of prophet Eli, that the word is rare to them.
If Ekwok and his greedy gang were discerning enough, they would have known who the Lord’s anointed is, but alas, they lack the oil.
A careful look at the PFN minutes for that meeting did not indicate anywhere in the agenda, deliberation, endorsement and prayers for the PDP candidate, so Rev Ekwok unilaterally took the decision that will for a very long time define his doom.
No doubt, Mr. Ekwok belongs to the league of merchants that Jesus would have taken up whip to honestly flog some sense into his head.
From the illegality that transpired at the holy household of God, disregarding the sanctity of the temple of God, Lawrence Ekwok, his co-conspirators, the PDP candidate and their agents should be immediately arrested for contravening the electoral act that forbids the use of religious places such as church to either campaign, endorse or promote the ideals of a political party.
Richard Edem writes from Calabar
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