Controversy Surrounding pro-polygamy priest, forces him to quit Anglican Church

THE circumstance surrounding the alleged resignation of a priest in the Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion), Anambra State, Rev. Ogbuchukwu Lotanna, is not yet clear.

While some people say his alleged resignation is based on his position on polygamy, and divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy, others say it may not be unconnected with alleged misconduct he was involved in which did not go down well with the people.

Newsthumb gathered that Lotanna, an indigene of Mbanagu Otolo Nnewi in Nnewi North LGA, received a divine mandate to float a movement in support of polygamy but some people close to the church claimed he may be involved in a yet to be disclosed misconduct the Diocese frowns at.

However, efforts to speak with the Diocese of Nnewi Anglican authorities failed as a priest told our correspondence that the Bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ndubuisi Obi, was the only person who could speak on the matter.

“Nobody can speak on the matter concerning the purported resignation of the priest in our pre-Synod press briefing. The Bishop is reading his Presidential Address and I believe you must be in Ozubulu to take records. So the Bishop, who is the only competent person to speak on the matter, if it is true, is the Bishop, whom I know may not be interested in responding to questions on the issue,” the priest said.

The priest was said to have claimed that the divine mandate he received to float a movement was aimed at encouraging polygamy with a vision to reducing the rate of sexual sins in society.

He was equally said to have hinged his support to polygamy on an effort to reduce sin contrary to what was generally preached in the churches without practical effort to reduce sexual immorality.

According to reports, Lotanna said: “What God hates is divorce of any kind, sleeping with another man’s wife and sleeping with someone that is not someone’s wife, and young girls.

“God desired men to even marry more than one wife, instead of going for someone else’s wife or ladies they were not married to, what they call side chicks these days”. According to him, the church had hidden this information from members for a long time and it was high time people were told the truth.

“Men should be encouraged to marry their side chicks to escape hell fire, the only thing wrong with polygamy was to stay in a church that was against the practice because two cannot work unless they agree.
“This our movement would be called ‘Gideonites’ while the place of worship would be called ‘Gideonites’ Temple”.