Pastor Abel Damina, the Senior Pastor of Power City International Church in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has recently come under fire from the Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs. The council has accused him of propagating “fallacies and heresies” in his sermons, citing a high frequency of “theological errors” and “hate speech” that they believe could potentially be classified as cybercrime against the Christian faith.
The council, led by its secretary, Bishop Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, issued a formal disclaimer on October 15, 2024. The open letter, addressed to Pastor Damina, was published on Facebook, where Adesanya-Davies emphasized that the council was distancing itself from the controversial teachings and messages that the pastor has been promoting. The dispute centers around what the council deems to be misrepresentations of Christian doctrine and inflammatory rhetoric that could harm the Christian community.
“Dr. Abel Damina, you have crossed the line, and you are, therefore, no longer a representative of Christianity (The Body of Christ) in Nigeria.
“Heresy is a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine and any belief, teaching or practice that explicitly undermines the gospel.”
She cited some of Damina’s messages the group has issues with like “There is no heaven”, “You don’t need God to Succeed”, “Jesus is not coming back”, and “Heaven is scam.”
Damina was accused of attracting an audience through “content creating hype rather than being correct and spiritual.”
Reacting to the letter in a live Facebook video, Damina described the group as a “bunch of jokers” seeking to be relevant.
He said he had never heard of the group before and that the letter was never sent to him.
“I am not even aware of its existence. It is a situation of notice me by force.”
“They are looking at how to malign me. They said I am heretic; therefore, they have decided that I am no longer a representative of the Body of Christ in Nigeria. What a laugh”