Five out of eleven members of the board of elders of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) have resigned over the refusal of the church to implement the investigative committee’s recommendations that Rev. Nashon Azaki be transferred from its branch in Wuse II.
Aside from that, the church has recorded a decline in attendance and financial support.
The embattled Rev. Azaki has been under probe over alleged sexual harassment since January 2025, when concerned church members submitted a petition to ECWA Headquarters calling for his removal.
The petition was supported by a letter from Dr. George Ogunyomi, a legal practitioner acting on behalf of these members.
In the letter, sent on Tuesday, February 3, 2025, Ogunyomi accused the pastor of breaching ECWA’s ethical guidelines and criticised the leadership for allowing him to remain in his position despite the mounting evidence of his misconduct.
Some concerned members of the church said that despite an official announcement by the ECWA Executive to representatives of ECWA Wuse II on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, to implement the recommendations of the committee, nothing has been done. Over five weeks later, Azaki remains in office, and this inaction has sparked outrage among members.
Reacting to the development, the ECWA General Secretary, Rev. Ayuba Asheshe, said the church has a protocol for handling every matter and, as such, has handed the recommendations of the investigative committee to the Garki District Church Council (DCC) for implementation.
When contacted, the Chairman of Garki DCC, Rev. Samson Jonah, who did not confirm nor deny that such a report was before him, simply asked the reporter to “confirm your allegations with a written document from ECWA HQ”.
Sources revealed that influential figures within the denomination, including a former ECWA president, have pressured the leadership to retain Rev. Azaki, defying the findings of the last investigative committee. That committee concluded that his continued presence is detrimental to the church’s unity and peace.
Many members see troubling parallels between the current situation and past ECWA crises—such as those at ECWA Goodness Samaru, Zaria, in the 1990s, and more recently at Plateau Church, Jos—where leadership delays led to prolonged conflict and significant losses.
They now question whether the current leadership, headed by Rev. Dr. Job Ayuba Bagat Mallam, will repeat those mistakes through similar inaction.
The ECWA Executive had pledged to follow the investigative committee’s recommendations, which included the transfer of Rev. Azaki and the dissolution of the existing elders’ board. Yet, no progress has been made, leading many to question the Executive’s integrity and commitment to reform.
It was learnt that “members of other denominations are now questioning if ECWA still stands for integrity and the truth, while other ECWA members are mocking members of ECWA Wuse II”.
Investigation revealed that, in an attempt to conceal the division in the church, ECWA Wuse II’s leadership recently held a meeting with leaders of the church’s three major fellowship groups. The goal was to persuade them to accept Rev. Azaki’s continued leadership. However, the effort backfired.
Fellowship leaders stood firm, stating plainly that the church’s internal crisis could not be resolved without full implementation of the committee’s recommendations. They emphasised that pretending all is well is both dishonest and harmful to the church’s future.
The leaders of the statutory fellowships were said to have since called for the immediate dissolution of the current elders’ board and the establishment of a new one, as originally advised.
According to church members, those resisting Rev. Azaki’s transfer are largely driven by personal interest, with some reportedly benefiting from financial support for medical travel and other perks.
Calls for a financial audit, also recommended by the investigative committee, have grown louder. Members believe such an audit would expose conflicts of interest involving key figures within ECWA.
The concerned members said that, without swift and decisive action, the crisis will not only deepen but continue to erode the church’s moral and spiritual foundation. Many congregants have also said that Rev. Azaki’s continued presence symbolises the broader breakdown of accountability and trust within ECWA.
