By Michael Adatang
The controversy between Apostle Johnson Suleman, General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries and Miss Stephanie Otobo who accused him of sexual impropriety seems to aggravate each passing day.
Though the Apostle is said to be persecuted by Governor Nasir El-rufai which he antagonises in various quarters, it is necessary to separate the facts from the opinions. This will enable us to have a complete comprehension of the matter.
While Stephanie Otobo has been seen by many as a tool used by parochial and despotic politicians to orchestrate sexual propaganda aimed at tarnishing the good and admirable reputation of the Cleric, it is not a viable reason to hastily exonerate the pastor from the weighty allegations levelled against him by Otobo.
His supporters, particularly, the former Presidential aide should not have rushed to Twitter to proclaim the good works of the Pastor in the first place. This is so because what is being contested at the moment is not Apostle Suleman's philanthropy or charity, but his integrity.
This goes to mean that if Apostle Suleman is in any way guilty of Miss Otobo's charges, no amount of his benevolence or generosity to the indigent people can erase the fact that he abused spiritual authority and privilege.
Frankly speaking, Apostle Suleman's reluctance to defend with concrete or tangible facts the heavy allegations levelled against him, despite his awareness of the implication of this on his integrity, family, ministry and indeed the entire Christendom leaves one in a state of indecision of which stand to take.
As a man of God faced with such weighty accusation which undermines his integrity and credibility, Apostle Suleman should have put forward a stronger defence, rather than prophesying about 'marine spirits'.
Otobo emphasized that she traveled with the Pastor on his evangelical ministrations, and that he gave her sums of money. He should have requested the Police to cross-check their travelling passports to confirm this. He should have provided his bank details to prove her wrong.
Apostle Suleman's silence is no longer golden. Otherwise, his case will be likened to the case of Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of COZA who promised to give a 'robust reply' but withdrew into the shell till date. It is high time for him to speak up and save his gradually tainted moral authority. This continuous alarm of being set up by an enemy is no longer helping matters.
The time to take appropriate actions is NOW. This is very important to the country because religion shapes the political system, and the integrity of the religious system translates into integrity and sanity in the political system.
No comments: