“What was
meant to be a day of celebration – the wedding ceremony of one of our members
Uloma Agwu to Mr. Solomon Akiyesi at the Overcomers Church World Outreach in
Aguda – was sullied by an ugly incident. Immediately following the praise and
worship session and before the officiating commenced, a woman who claims to be
the lawful wife of the groom disrupted the ceremony. She was accompanied by
people who sought only to wreck havoc in the church. They were unruly and
violent.
“We regret the ugly series of events that
followed this brash display. At the Overcomers Church, we do our due diligence
to ensure a couple set to wed is right in the eyes of the law and in the eyes
of God. To the best of our knowledge, Mr. Akiyesi, was unmarried.
“The
groom, Mr. Akiyesi, has apologized to the Church, his bride-to-be, Ms. Agwu,
and family and friends that gathered for the wedding. “This happened because I
tried to cut corners,” he said. He admits he did not properly dissolve his
previous marriage to his first wife and says he is determined to do what is
necessary to rectify the awful situation. We apologize for the ugly scene this
caused at our Church and
apologize to those who witnessed it. It is not exemplary behavior and not who
we are as a Church.
“The General Overseer of the Overcomers Church
World Outreach, Bishop N.E. Moses, addressed the congregation after order was
restored.
“Bishop
Moses prayed for the couple, Mr. Akiyesi and Ms. Agwu, but he did not legally
wed them – no documents were signed so as not to disobey the law. Mr. Solomon
Akiyesi and Ms Uloma Agwu will not be legally joined together until the matter
is properly settled by lawful authorities.
After
reactions poured online, with a huge chunk condemning the church’s stand on the
matter. Overcomers Church has issued fresh statements.
“This is a
follow up to our statement from Saturday, April 13, following the disrupted
wedding of Mr. Solomon Akiyesi to Ms. Uloma Agwu.
“In light of
the media mayhem that has erupted with tabloids spinning their own version of
events, we find it necessary to make a final statement on the matter and hope
that listening ears and hearts will understand the decisions we have made as a
church.
“Let’s start by addressing some of the rumours
that have been perpetuated on several gossip blogs and tabloids.
“Mr. Akiyesi is not a member of the Overcomers
Church World Outreach. We heard no word of an existing marriage to Mrs. Lilian
Akiyesi.
“Many have pointed out that perhaps the
Overcomers Church failed to do its due diligence in investigating Mr. Akiyesi
thoroughly. We concede the point and will ensure that our Marriage Committee is
equipped with a travel fund that will allow travel to visit with family members
of engaged couples and ensure both the prospective brides and grooms are in
fact who they say they are.
“Ms. Uloma Agwu is a staunch member of the
Overcomers Church. We regret that she was deceived by Mr. Akiyesi who lied, not
only to her, but her family and Church as well. There is however no dishonesty
on her part. She was unaware that a Mrs. Akiyesi already existed.
“Furthermore, Ms. Agwu is not pregnant, as
published by tabloids.
That is a
vicious lie that we hope to clear up.
“No semblance of a wedding between her and Mr.
Akiyesi took place at the Overcomers Church on Saturday. No vows were said, no
rings exchanged and no marriage certificate handed out and the Church has NO
INTENTION of endorsing such a union.
“We respect the sanctity of Marriage at the
Overcomers Church and will continue to uphold what is right and virtuous about
the institution of marriage.
“We do not endorse divorce and work instead to
counsel troubled marriages and build stronger unions. Those who know us, know
that.
“Which brings us to the final misconception. The
Overcomers Church does not fault Mrs. Lilian Akiyesi’s right to put a stop to a
marriage that is not permissible in the eyes of the law and of God. As a matter
of fact, we thank her for doing so and saving our sister, Ms. Agwu, from what
would have been a disastrous union.
“What we DO NOT endorse and will not stand for
as a church is a group of people bringing a fight into the House of God. We
will protect and defend our house of worship.
“We learned that Mrs Akiyesi had arranged for
police personnel days before the wedding and was already present at the Church
hours before the wedding ceremony started. The right thing here would have been
to alert church officials and present her case in a manner befitting a house of
worship.
“The wedding would not have taken place, and Mr.
Akiyesi and his wife would have been sent along to sort out their lives
together; which is what we have done now.
“We strongly disapprove of the way Mrs. Akiyesi
and her family and friends handled the matter. It brought shame to this house
of worship. We also strongly abhor the actions Mr. Akiyesi, as well. His
deception brought shame and disgrace, not only to the house of God, but also to
his wife and Ms. Uloma Agwu.
“Let us state in no uncertain terms, the
relationship between Ms. Agwu and Mr. Akiyesi was dissolved yesterday afternoon
after all the facts were brought to light.
“We stand by our decision to pray for Mr.
Akiyesi and Ms. Agwu following the ugly incident. No matter the wrongdoing, we
commit all things into the hands of God, the ultimate judge. We will continue
to support Ms. Agwu and pray for peace for all parties involved. We pray that
God reaches into every heart and brings healing, so we can all move in our spiritual walk.”
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