Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria has reaffirmed Rev (Dr) Sam Aboyeji as its General Overseer.
Aboyeji, in 2029, took over from Rev. Felix Meduoye, who served the Church for nine years.
Prior to his emergence as GO, Rev. Aboyeji was the Midwest regional Coordinator of the Church.
At the Church’s Ajebo Lagos-Ibadan Campground, where the election held, Rev. Aboyeji received an overwhelming vote of 1,931 (i.e. 97.6%) from the 1,979 votes cast by delegates, to lead the Church for another term of five years beginning from November 2024.
Chairman of the electoral (Affirmation) committee, who is the Northern Regional Coordinator of the Church, Rev. Prof. James Nda Jacob, announced the re-election of Rev. Aboyeji on Monday, April 8.
The special convention, according to the Church, comes on the eve of the Church’s International Conference for Ministers and Leaders with the theme: Making Disciples.
The church’s constitution, TRIBUNE ONLINE gathered, requires that the General Overseer secures simple majority votes cast by delegates for the renewal of his mandate at the expiration of his first tenure of five years in office.
Part IV, Section 2 (h) states thus:
“The General Overseer shall serve for a term of five (5) years in the first instance. Thereafter, renewable for another final term of five (5) years through secret ballot of “yes” or “no” which shall hold in the month of April at a Special Convention.”
Rev. Aboyeji is the 5th indigenous General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, a church with its roots from the United States of America, founded in 1923 by a Canadian-America Lady Evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson.
The church was established in Nigeria in 1955 and currently has over 4,700 branches spread across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
The last five years have witnessed the General Overseer focusing the attention of his administration on training and development of ministers, upscaling their healthcare/welfare and that of members, intentional youth engagement and empowerment, as well as outreaches to both hinterlands and major cities.
Prior to his assumption of office as the General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria in November 2019, Rev. Aboyeji had a successful career with the Anglo-Dutch oil giant – Shell – where he served for nearly 20 years.
In 2010, he left the corporate world to pursue full-time ministry. Before joining Shell, he worked at the premier stockbroking firm, Nigerian Stock Brokers Limited, a subsidiary of NAL Merchant Bank, now known as Sterling Bank Plc.
In his remarks after the exercise, Rev. Aboyeji appreciated the delegates for the peaceful conduct of the Affirmation election, while also coveting the cooperation and participation of all the members in fulfilling the mandate of the church.
“Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria will not relent in playing its God-given pivotal role as a frontline evangelical and Pentecostal Movement in our country.
“Our Inreach, Outreach, and Nextgen focus will continue to guide and shape our policies and procedures in meeting the demands of ministry. The welfare of all our ministers will be further enriched as we accelerate the pursuit of our evangelistic and mission thrust,” he said.