When Bishop Joshua Lwere and other leaders of NFBPC-U visited Buganda Kingdom Premier Charles Peter Mayiga at Bulange-Mengo
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BISHOP Joshua Lwere whose second and final term as General Overseer (GO) of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda (NFBPC) is coming to an end, has finally succumbed to pressure from over 2000 pastors in Uganda. He has announced his exit!
This marks the end of rumours which were making rounds among different groups of Born-Again that Joshua Lwere and a clique of his people were plotting to cause the ammendments in the constitution governing NFBPC, with the aim of removing term limit so as to make him a life leader.
This leading investigative news website had landed on a plot hatched by Bishop Joshua Lwere and a clique of his yes men to touch the NFBPC constitution and remove Article 22 (5 b) (b iii) which reads, “After two consecutive terms, the General Overseer may only be eligible for re-election if a period equal or more than the total length that he spent in office has elapsed.”
Meaning, since Lwere’s two terms have elapsed, a new General Overseer should be elected, for he may return to contest for the same office if he wishes to, in the future but not at the expiry of his two terms. So he has to leave office to pave way for the election of the new NFBPC leader.
However, Lwere’s camp didn’t want him to leave office, they wanted the constitution amended so that he runs again!
During the recently convened Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Lwere’s Grace Assembly Christian Centre located at Sir Apollo Kaggwa road in Kampala, this idea was dropped and this is when Lwere told delegates present that he is going to let them choose a new leader for Balokole in Uganda!
“Fellow Bishops and all delegates, my term as the General Overseer has ended! I am going away, be ready to choose a new leader.” Announced Bishop Joshua Lwere during the AGM.
The Aspirants for the General Overseer office include; Leonard Sserwadda from Masaka, Fredrick Ssemazzi (former General Secretary (NFBPC ) from Bukasa in Muyenga, Joseph Nsubuga (current National Mobilizer) from Komamboga Kawempe, Moses Odongo (the current National Clerk) from Namuwongo, and renown Pr. David Micheal Kyazze of Omega Healing Centre Namasuba on Entebbe road.
Lwere’s confession that he has no plans to influence constitution amendments and cling to power excited delegates who had planned to walkout on him, protesting if he had dared to announce otherwise!
One senior pastor said, “Now you are talking. Those who wanted you to abrogate our constitution were misleading you. We shall indeed choose your successor by the guidance of The Holy Spirit.”
Lwere distanced himself from any knowledge about constitutional amendments as alleged saying, the constitutional provision of two terms will be preserved.
According to our sources who attended that AGM, the idea of ending tenure of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and that of Electoral Commission (EC) as it had been planned by the Lwere clique also failed.
In fact if it had passed, this could have led to the postponement of the elections. Now that EC’s work was not sabotaged, election of new leaders of National Fellowship for Born-Again Pentecostal Churches, is on course. Days before the AGM, the election process had been stopped, aspirants banned on the orders of Lwere from holding consultative meetings.
However, Lwere’s clique managed to remove the 40% constitutional requirement for nomination of the General Overseer (GO).
According to Article 22 (4) b)
(a); The names of the candidates for the office of the General Overseer shall be forwarded by a minimum of 40% of the District Governing Council (s) from among the members of the National Electoral College, (with national reflection) to the Electoral Commission, which in turn shall forward them to the National Council of Elders for vetting.
In the recent AGM, they also passed a ridiculous AGM sitting to propose and pass a change of constitution without review of the CRC.
EC SEEKS FOR UGX 2B TO ORGANISE ELECTIONS
Meanwhile, there is a conundrum in the National Fellowship for Born-Again Pentectostal Churches of Uganda, the Electoral Commission which is in charge of elections of new leaders has no money to conduct elections.
We can reliably report that, EC is in situation catch 22, the commission is looking for funds to the tune of UGX 2B to organise for fresh elections country over.
Insiders say, although AGM cleared the electoral road map, they didn’t discuss source of the funding.
“Some of us still think that AGM was not needed at this time. Sums of money which was spent to convene the AGM, feeding over 400 delegates for days and transported them back, would have been diverted for the elections this month. How can you give EC a green light to organise elections when you have not given it money? What a clear sabotage?” Asked one of the delegates.
There is a school of thought that there is no interest at all about the elections, “Since selfish interests were frustrated by Pastors.”
Our attempts to reach Apostle Rogers Zziwa who is the Commissioner General (CG) for EC so that he tells us the way forward were futile, by press time he had not picked our calls.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NFBPC
The National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda (NFBPC-U) was formed 32 years ago in 1990.
Records show, it was an idea by the then President Museveni’s Government Minister Balaki Kirya who was a Born-Again.
General Overseer (GO) of NFBPC is the ultimate leader of the Fellowship of Pentecostal Churches in Uganda.
The first General Overseer was Prof. Simeon Kayiwa of Namirembe Christian Fellowship.
Kayiwa became GO in 1990 -1995 and was given a second term.
In 2003, Apostle Alex Mitala took over from Prof. Simeon Kayiwa. His leadership ended in 2013 after 10 years and he left the office peacefully.
The mantle was given to the reigning leadership of Bishop Joshua Lwere in 2013 and his term remains with a few weeks to end.
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