WHY ORDINATIONS OUTSIDE THE 1985 CAC CERTIFICATE ARE ILLEGITIMATE AND SPIRITUALLY DANGEROUS

WHY ORDINATIONS OUTSIDE THE 1985 CAC CERTIFICATE ARE ILLEGITIMATE AND SPIRITUALLY DANGEROUS

By Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola

INTRODUCTION: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CALLING THE CHURCH BACK TO ORDER

For more than three decades, Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas has endured a crisis that has wounded its unity, distorted its identity, and weakened its apostolic witness. At the centre of this crisis lies a truth many have avoided, ignored, or deliberately concealed: the only legitimate authority for ordination, governance, and apostolic succession in CAC is the 1985 Certificate of Incorporation bearing the historic registration number 147.

This certificate is not a mere administrative document. It is the legal continuation of the 1943 foundation laid by our fathers—Akinyele, Odubanjo, and Babalola. It is the covenantal bridge between our apostolic roots and our present generation. It is the only recognised legal identity of Christ Apostolic Church before the Government of Nigeria.

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Yet, since the crisis began, the GEC faction has ordained, commissioned, and elevated ministers without the authority of this certificate. They have acted outside the legal framework, outside the apostolic lineage, and outside the spiritual order established by God through our founding fathers. The Holy Spirit is now calling the Church to confront this disorder, not with sentiment but with truth, not with emotion but with Scripture, and not with politics but with prophetic clarity.

THE 1985 CERTIFICATE IS THE ONLY LEGAL AND SPIRITUAL CONTINUATION OF THE 1943 FOUNDATION

The 1985 Certificate of Incorporation is not a new registration. It is the lawful update of the 1943 Certificate issued under the Land (Perpetual Succession) Ordinance. It carries the same number—147—because it is the same Church. It is the only certificate that ties us to our apostolic roots, our spiritual heritage, and our legal identity.

Any ordination that does not flow from this certificate is disconnected from the foundation laid by our fathers. Scripture teaches, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). A Church cannot build on a foundation God did not lay. A ministry cannot claim legitimacy from a structure God did not authorise. Apostolic authority cannot be manufactured; it must be inherited.

ORDINATIONS OUTSIDE THIS AUTHORITY BREAK APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION

The priesthood in Scripture was never self‑appointed. It was always lineage‑based, covenant‑based, and divinely regulated. “No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” (Hebrews 5:4). When Korah attempted to ordain himself and others outside divine order, judgment followed swiftly (Numbers 16).

In the same way, ordinations conducted outside the authority of Certificate No. 147 break the apostolic chain. They create ministers without inheritance, pastors without covering, evangelists without legitimacy, and leaders without spiritual continuity. They stand outside the lineage of Odubanjo, Akinyele, and Babalola. They stand outside the covenantal stream that birthed CAC.

Renewal–Pentecostal insight teaches that anointing flows through alignment. Oil flows from the head to the beard to the skirts (Psalm 133). When the head is wrong, the flow is polluted. When the foundation is false, the anointing is counterfeit. When the authority is illegitimate, the ordination is spiritually empty.

ORDINATIONS OUTSIDE THE 1985 CERTIFICATE HAVE NO LEGAL STANDING

The Corporate Affairs Commission recognises only one Christ Apostolic Church: the one registered under Certificate No. 147. Every other certificate obtained through affidavits, manipulation, or political manoeuvring has been revoked, challenged, or exposed as fraudulent.

Therefore, any ordination conducted under such structures cannot legally represent CAC, cannot claim continuity with the original trustees, cannot stand in court as ministers of CAC, and cannot administer properties, institutions, or assets belonging to CAC. The law does not recognise them. Heaven does not endorse them. History does not record them.

ORDINATIONS OUTSIDE THIS AUTHORITY VIOLATE DIVINE ORDER

God is a God of order. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Corinthians 14:40). When men ordain themselves or ordain others outside the authority God established, they reproduce the sin of Jeroboam, who “made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.” (1 Kings 12:31). Scripture records that this act became a sin that destroyed his dynasty.

Illegitimate ordination is not a small matter. It is rebellion disguised as ministry. It is disorder dressed as spirituality. It is ambition masquerading as calling. It is the spirit of Absalom building altars outside Zion.

THE QUESTION OF FAITH FOR THOSE ORDAINED OUTSIDE THE CERTIFICATE

As I travel from one ministry site to another, the question keeps coming: What will be the fate of those ordained by factions or otherwise not under the cover of the Incorporation Certificate of 1985 with number 147? This question is not trivial. It is the cry of members who see ministers raised without legitimacy and wonder about their spiritual standing.

The answer is sobering. Faith cannot flourish under falsehood. Ministry cannot prosper under illegitimacy. Ordination outside divine order produces confusion, not continuity. Those ordained outside the 1985 Certificate stand in a precarious position: they may be sincere, but sincerity does not substitute for legitimacy. They may be zealous, but zeal does not replace divine order. They may be active, but activity does not equal apostolic succession.

The faith of such ministers and their congregations is endangered because their priesthood is not rooted in the foundation God established. Until they realign, their labour risks being in vain. “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127:1).

A REALISTIC SOLUTION ROOTED IN SCRIPTURE

The way forward is not endless litigation, nor sentimental compromise, but a return to truth and divine order. The realistic solution is for CAC to update and reaffirm the 1985 Certificate, appoint new trustees in line with the law, and restore ordination under the only legitimate authority God has honoured. This is the path of reconciliation, restoration, and revival.

Scripture provides the pattern: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:7). The Church must repent of illegitimate practices, restore the ancient landmarks, and realign its priesthood. Renewal–Pentecostal insight reminds us that revival always follows repentance and restoration. When the priesthood is purified, the anointing flows again. When the foundation is restored, the harvest returns. When the order is corrected, the heavens open.

This solution is not theoretical; it is practical. It requires courage, humility, and obedience. It requires leaders to lay down ambition and embrace truth. It requires members to withdraw support from deception and stand with righteousness. It requires the whole Church to choose legitimacy over illegitimacy, truth over falsehood, and divine order over rebellion.

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS OVER CAC NIGERIA & OVERSEAS 

In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, I declare that the priesthood of Christ Apostolic Church is being purified by fire. Every veil of deception covering the eyes of ministers and members is torn away. Every foundation built on falsehood is exposed and dismantled. Every illegitimate ordination is stripped of influence and authority. Every minister ordained outside divine order receives conviction unto repentance.

I declare that the Spirit of Truth prevails over every faction, every structure, and every agenda. The economy of deception collapses under the weight of divine judgment. The oil of apostolic continuity flows again from the 1943–1985 foundation. The glory of God returns to CAC in purity, power, and righteousness. Unity emerges through truth. Revival breaks forth through obedience. Restoration comes through alignment.

I decree that CAC Nigeria and Overseas enters a new season of apostolic clarity, prophetic purity, and spiritual authority. The Lord Himself restores the ancient landmarks and re‑establishes the priesthood in righteousness. What God has planted shall stand. What God has ordained shall flourish. What God has established shall endure.

CONCLUSION: GOD IS RESTORING THE PRIESTHOOD OF CAC

This is the hour of purification. This is the hour of apostolic realignment. This is the hour of truth. This is the hour of courage. This is the hour of restoration.

Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas will not be rebuilt on forged documents, political manoeuvres, or illegitimate ordinations. It will be rebuilt on truth, on righteousness, on divine order, and on the apostolic foundation laid by our fathers.

The Holy Spirit is restoring the priesthood of CAC.

Let every ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.