…As John Praise loses out
Francis Wale Oke, the presiding bishop of Sword of the Spirit Ministries International and Chancellor of Precious Cornerstone University (PCU), has been re-elected as the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Oke survived the political intrigues that played out hours before the commencement of the 14th biennial conference held at the Dunamis Dome in Abuja
A colloquium was held a day before the biennial conference to celebrate the Fellowship’s 40th anniversary.
The biennial national conference, which started on Tuesday, February 11, was concluded on Friday February 14, 2025.
Prior to the conference some platform had reported that Oke will likely not get re-elected and that some ‘fathers’ had favoured his deputy, John Praise Daniel as the anointed candidate to run the affairs of the Fellowship for the next four years.
That calculation led to the deputy contesting against the incumbent for re-election as national president of the Fellowship.
Read also: Wale Oke has turned PFN into a key player in national affairs
While the incumbent got re-elected with 15 votes, the deputy got 12 votes; hence, he lost out entirely from the national executive of the PFN.
John Praise Daniel is the presiding bishop of Dominion Chapel International Church, and president of the Dominion Bible Faith Institute (DOBFI).
The national advisory council (NAC) consisting past presidents of the Fellowship and some fathers of faith form the voting blocs for PFN national elections.
Following the successful election, president Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated the re-elected PFN president, calling him “a respected religious leader and author.”
President Tinubu in a statement made available by State House digital, congratulated Christian faithful and commended Oke for his consistent effort in promoting religious harmony and national renaissance, as demonstrated in his ‘Nigeria Turning Point Prayer Movement’.
The President described the clergyman as a man of fine character, principle, and faith and encouraged him to continue using the pulpit to teach the good gospel of love, kindness, and peace as embodied by Jesus Christ.
“The President prays for the bishop’s fresh anointing as he continues his leadership role in the Lord’s vineyard.”
The present central working committee of the PFN also known as the national executive comprised: Francis Wale Oke, re-elected national president; Cosmas Ilechukwu, former national secretary, elected deputy national president; David Bakare, former national deputy secretary, elected national secretary and, Sam Aboyeji, re-elected national treasurer.
