A group identifying itself as “concerned members” of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide has publicly rejected the recent appointment of an acting Baba Aladura, throwing the leadership of the century old indigenous church into open dispute less than a month after the death of its previous spiritual head.
The group issued a statement on Thursday declaring that Most Senior Special Apostle Prophet Timothy Iranloye Adewoye, rather than Most Senior Special Apostle Gabriel Kassim, is the “authentic and constitutionally recognized Acting Baba Aladura” of the church, effective immediately.
The late Baba Aladura, Prophet Emmanuel Alogbo, died on July 30 at the age of 93 after a tenure of just over two years at the head of the church, which traces its roots to the Aladura movement within Nigerian Christianity and counts congregations across Nigeria and in the diaspora.
According to the statement, church leadership is meant to pass automatically through a fixed chain of seniority. “Upon the transition to glory of the late Baba Aladura, His grace, Emmanuel Alogbo, the mantle rightly and constitutionally devolves to the next in line of authority,” the statement read, naming Adewoye as that successor.
The group said the naming of Kassim as acting Baba Aladura bypassed the church’s own rules. “That announcement did not follow the procedure laid down in our Constitution which was not followed by the Board of Trustees,” the statement said, adding that the group considers the appointment “null, void, and of no effect within the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church.”
Both Adewoye and Kassim have long served together on the church’s Board of Trustees, according to the church’s own records, alongside other senior apostles overseeing districts in Nigeria, the United States and elsewhere.
The statement calls on branches and members worldwide to back Adewoye instead. “We call on all Districts, Branches and Model Branches, and members worldwide, to give him their full support, prayers, and allegiance as we move forward in unity,” it said.
The group also appealed for calm within the church while the dispute is sorted out. “We urge all members of the fold to remain calm, prayerful, and law-abiding,” the statement said. “The Church is bigger than any individual or Board Of Trustees. Any action that seeks to cause division or confusion is contrary to the spirit of Cherubim and Seraphim.”
It further urged outside parties to hold off recognizing any communication other than what it described as the authentic leadership. “We also appeal to the public, media, and government agencies to recognize only communications that will be issued henceforth by the office of the authentic Acting Baba Aladura,” the statement said.
The statement was signed on behalf of “concerned members of CSMC Worldwide” and did not list individual signatories. As of Thursday, the church’s Board of Trustees and Secretary General’s office, which announced Alogbo’s death in a July 30 statement, had not issued a public response to the rival claim.
This is a developing dispute over internal church governance, and the competing claims to the acting leadership have not been independently verified.
