Nigerian priest who resigned to support polygamy makes U-turn, apologises for ‘mistake’

Lotanna Ogbuchukwu, a former Anglican priest who resigned to start a movement in support of polygamy, has announced his decision to return to the church.

Mr Ogbuchukwu, in September, stunned many Christian faithful when he announced his resignation as a priest in the church.

He had claimed that polygamy was not a sin and that it was God’s ordained arrangement.

He had argued that God desired men to marry more than one wife, instead of having sexual affairs with another man’s wife or a woman they were not married to.

He had also claimed that the church had hidden the information from members for a long time and that it was high time the people were told the truth about polygamy. He went on to urge men to marry their ‘side chicks’ to escape hell fire.

The cleric served as an Anglican priest for nearly three years, before his resignation.

U-turn

But in a statement on Tuesday, Mr Ogbuchukwu, said his resignation and support for polygamy followed his “misinterpretation of the revelations” he received on a divine movement for sexual purity.

“I Rev. Ogbuchukwu Makuo Lotanna hereby withdraw my humble self from propagation of the polygamy movement and plead with everyone to jettison all I have said so far on this movement as I have fully backed off and I am fully back to the church and promised not to speak or work against the sound and godly doctrines of my church,” he said in the statement.

Mr Ogbuchukwu, who is also a lawyer, pledged to give “full and undivided attention” to all that God has called him to do as a priest in obedience to the instituted authority of the church.

“I wish to inform the general body of Christ and the general public that I have submitted a letter of apology to my lord bishop for resigning from being a member of the body of Clergy Association of Diocese of Nnewi Anglican Communion,” the cleric stated.

He said he has withdrawn and deleted all the videos and messages containing his preaching on polygamy which he posted on social media.

“I have understood that for any programme to achieve sexual purity, it must of necessity, be that which should build the Church of Christ and should be accepted by her. And I cannot be numbered among those fighting the church,” he added.

He apologised to those “who may have been disappointed in me, deceived or offended by my action” particularly over 200 persons, whom he said, had indicated their interests to join him in starting up the church in support of polygamy.

When contacted on Tuesday, the cleric told PREMIUM TIMES that the church had indicated interest to accept him back.

He said he was still fulfilling “some conditions” given by the church for his acceptance.

Mr Ogbuchukwu served under the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State, before his resignation.

The cleric hails from Mbanagu, Otolo, a community in Nnewi North Local Government Area of the state.

He was ordained an Anglican priest on 22 December 2019 at St. Mary’s Cathedral Anglican Church, Uruagu, another community in the council area.

His decision to return to the church came barely three months after his resignation as a priest in the church.