Crunch Meetings At Nogokpo Over Archbishop Agyinasare

The chiefs and stool elders of the Nogokpo and Some Traditional Area in the Ketu South Municipality, in the Volta Region, are holding series of crunch meetings to take a decision in the wake of alleged derogatory comment made by Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, the founder of Perez Chapel, during a sermon in which he described Nogokpo as the “demonic headquarters” of the Volta Region.

The Anchor is informed, the elders from the area, led by Torgbi Saba V, Chief of Nogokpo, are neither taking the matter lightly, nor want any calamity to befall anyone, following any step taken by the traditional leaders and, therefore, are holding discussions to weigh the options to deal with the matter.

One of the stool fathers of Nogokpo told The Anchor, the matter is heavier than it appears and the consequences of it will be dire for the Archbishop and his family, if he is not advised to retract and apologize.

“This matter is a spiritual matter, if something happens now, people will be calling Nogokpo a bad name. So, we are not going to leave it like that.

“I can assure you, the outcome of what is going on will shock the whole country and that is what we don’t want, we the elders at the front. It’s a spiritual war, so care must be taken. Agyinasare will put himself and family in danger,” he said.

According to him, “The custodian and opinion leaders are meeting and will come out with official press release. We have lawyers and professors working on it. This will travel to the Ketu South Assembly, Regional House of Chiefs, Chieftaincy Ministry, Regional Minister, President of the Republic, Parliament and Council of Elders.”

Torgbui Saba V, Chief of Nogokpo

Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, when preaching the sermon on the third day of a summit held at the headquarters of his church in Accra, recounted an incident where his team received spiritual attacks for hosting a crusade in the Volta Region.

He said, “During this crusade in Aflao, we slept at Agbozume, that was where our hotel was, and you must go through Nogokpo.

“Nogokpo is the demonic headquarters of the Volta Region. We only have not said it, but the second night, I made Bishop Yaw Adu talk about witchcraft and we disgraced the witches and the wizards. When we were driving from Aflao to Agbozome, immediately we got to Nogokpo, Bishop Yaw Adu’s four-wheel drive, the tyres came out from under the car.”

His comment has received several backlashes from a section of the public, particularly indigenes of Nogokpo, and Volta Region at large, demanding an apology from the Perez Chapel International founder and leader.

But a statement issued by the palace of Torgbi Saba V, sighted by The Anchor, said: “It has come to the notice of Torgbi Saba V, “Dufia of Nogokpo, the current happenings on social media about Archbishop Charles Agyin-Asare and Nogokpo – we wish to let Ghanaians and the world know that we are deliberating on the issue and the general public shall hear from us in due course.”

The statement dated, May 26, 2023, directs all media outlets and the public seeking further clarification, to do so through the appropriate channel.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said such a tag was unfortunate and that she and her people deserved an apology from the minister of God.

“Very unfortunate incident,” she said, adding that “It is an unguarded and inciting comment from a revered leader of a big church. On behalf of my people, I demand an unqualified apology from the man of God, who I have enormous respect for.”

Mr. Jonas Fotor Agbagba, Assembly member for Nogokpo/Atsivuta, said people had always preconceived minds about the community, famous for its traditional and spiritual shrine, Zakadza.

“People say many things about Nogokpo because of the deity, but the fact is, it is one of the crime-free and most peaceful places to live in the country. Torgbui Zakadza is a deity that punishes only wrongdoers and gives justice to people served with unfair treatment,” he explained.

No malice

Meanwhile, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare has responded, following the criticism over his comments, insisting that he meant no malice in his comment. He however, failed to render any apology.

In a response during Sunday, May 28 service, the Man of God said, “I have had a very cordial relationship with the people of the Volta Region. My wife of 38 years is an Ewe from Keta. And two of my sons bear Ewe names. All of the examples I gave were not intended to denigrate any of the towns and their people but to elucidate the principle of divine protection to congregants.”

“Any misrepresentation or misinformation that has characterised the subsequent commentary and reportage is regretted,” he said, adding “My Ministry over the past 40 years has been one that has spoken up at critical times in our Nation as a spiritual gatekeeper and I remain committed to serving God’s people and our Nation as the spirit directs.”

Below Is Published, The Archbishop’s Response:

Archbishop Dr Charles Agyinasare spoke about his comments on Nogokpo this morning, Sunday May 28, 2023

“I have received calls from people very close to me and my attention has been drawn to social media commentary on some portions of comments I made this past Thursday during the Supernatural Empowerment Summit here in the Perez Dome.

I was speaking on the divine protection we as Christians enjoy from God and was teaching congregants on the need to activate divine protection from demonic attacks. This is a cardinal principle of our faith as Charismatic Christians.

To drive home my point, I made reference to several instances where I have encountered manifestations of demonic powers in my crusades which have taken me to over 92 countries of the world. I gave an example of people who were seeking to levitate during a crusade in India. I gave an example of an attack I suffered as a very young Pastor who had gone to preach at a bus stop around Korle Bu.

In reference to Nogokpo, I wish to clarify that I never intended to refer to the town but an incident that happened after a crusade at Aflao. I had absolutely no intention to cast a slur upon the people of the Nogokpo Town and the Volta Region as a whole.

I have had a very cordial relationship with the people of the Volta Region. My wife of 38 years is an Ewe from Keta. And two of my sons bear Ewe names. All of the examples I gave were not intended to denigrate any of the towns and their people but to elucidate the principle of divine protection to congregants.

Any misrepresentation or misinformation that has characterised the subsequent commentary and reportage is regretted.

My Ministry over the past 40 years has been one that has spoken up at critical times in our Nation as a spiritual gatekeeper and I remain committed to serving God’s people and our Nation as the spirit directs.”

Source: Anchorghana.com