Knights and Ladies of St. Christopher in the Anglican Diocese of Owerri have dissociated themselves from what they described as very embarrassing, misleading and misguided comments made by some contributors to an Igbo Current Affairs Programme of an Owerri-based FM Station last Monday to the effect that the Owerri Council of Knights was in disagreement with the Bishop, Rt. Rev. Cyril C. Okorocha PhD over the selection of a new Bishop for the Diocese.
In a statement issued in Owerri and signed by Sir Gab Oduah (President), Ben Chikere (Ag Secretary) and Emman Onumah (Publicity Secretary) the Knights said that “there is no iota of truth in the whole story”.
They reaffirmed their unalloyed loyalty and unflinching support to the Bishop.
The Knights also made it clear that Knights all over the country have no role to play in the selection of bishops for Dioceses. Full text of the statement is below:
The attention of the Council of Knights of Saint Christopher, Diocese of Owerri, Anglican Communion, has been drawn to an "IGBO CURRENT AFFAIRS" programme of an Owerri-based FM Radio Station, aired last Monday, 5th February 2018 where some embarrassing, misleading, and misguided comments were made by contributors to the programme to the effect:
a. That the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Cyril C. Okorocha Ph.D was making some moves to impose a particular Priest of his choice to succeed him as the next Bishop of the Diocese.
b. That the Knights of the Owerri Council have, consequently disagreed/resisted the moves made by the incumbent Bishop, including a move said to have been made by a Bishop of Okigwe extraction, to translate to Owerri Diocese.
c. That the Owerri Council of Knights of St. Christopher has also taken a stand to resist or protest against any move or intention to translate a Bishop from the Diocese of Okigwe to Owerri.
d. The Council wishes to state unequivocally that there is no iota of truth in the whole story and disassociates itself from the rumours, including a trending story in the social media authored by one "Sir" Johnson Okorie; no such name exists in our nominal roll.
e. We wish to inform the public that the Council has no role whatsoever to play in the process of selecting a Bishop.
f. The Owerri Council of Knights of St. Christopher is law-abiding, and is fully aware that the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has its constitutional procedures for the selection of a new Bishop for any Diocese, hence the Council does not involve itself with such responsibility.
g. Finally, the Council wishes to announce to the public and all concerned, that there has been a very cordial relationship existing between the Council and the incumbent Bishop of Owerri Diocese, Rt. Rev. Cyril Chukwunonyerem Okorocha, Ph.D, for the past twenty years that he has been in office, and will not tolerate any attempt by mischief makers to cause confusion and mistrust in our pace setting Diocese.
h. The Council therefore uses this opportunity to express our unflinching support and unalloyed loyalty to our spirit-filled and prayerful Bishop, Rt. Rev. C. C. Okorocha, Ph.D, who has over these past years encouraged us as individual Knights and as a Council, with his episcopal leadership qualities
Sir Gabriel I. Oduah, JP.
President.
Sir Ben Chikwere
Ag. Secretary
Sir Emma C Onumah
Publicity Secretary.
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