Reverend Ogbuchukwu Makua Lotanna, a lawyer, from Otolo, Nnewi, Anambra State, has been in the news recently over his promotion of polygamy against the belief and doctrine in the Anglican Communion where he served as a priest before quitting some months back to propagate the concept of polygamy.
He claimed that God has given him the lion heart to propagate polygamy, stating that it’s wrong for the church to preach against polygamy.
In this interview with our correspondent the ex-Anglican priest threw more light on why and how God has decided to use him to encourage men to go for more than one wife instead of sticking to monogamy and see themselves in hellfire because of infidelity. Excepts.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I opted out to go for priesthood because of the call of God upon my life. I have been a serious worker in the church and I’m also someone who is serious with Jesus, preaching Jesus. I have been an Anglican close to 40 years now. From birth, I have been an Anglican and when I realized that God was calling me, I decided to go into priesthood.
When were you ordained priest?
That was in 2018 in Nnewi Diocese. Then I started discovering why God wanted me here and the things He wanted me to achieve in our society. That’s the reason you read the thing you said you saw in the media about me. My first ordination was under Archbishop Most Rev G. I. N. Okpala (rtd). Then the 2nd ordination was conducted under the current Bishop, Rt. Rev. Ndubisi Obi. I worked last as an Anglican priest at Chapel of Glory Anglican, Girls Secondary School, Nnewi.
You have come up with something strange, so to say, among your fellow priests in the Anglican Communion, which is promoting polygamy. Tell us about that. How did it start?
When it became obvious to me that this is what God required for the moment, it should be around three or four years ago, when I started to understand the concept very well. But it was of recent that I now know in part as the scripture says we prophesy in part. The prophecy about this concept came around 12 years ago, but I didn’t understand it, how it was then. I was in Anglican Children Ministry (ACM) when the prophecy came some years ago. By then I didn’t understand fully what it was. It was of recent that the whole drama happened which started to link to that prophecy. That’s how it started.
So, in the prophecy, it was made clear to you that polygamy should be encouraged and the people of God can marry more than one wife?
In the prophecy, we were given names from the scripture. And then we were encouraged after the prophecy, through series of teachings that those things should be looked into and the names from the scripture and then the names were zeroed to two young kings in the scripture, Josiah and Juash. That time I saw it as a call about political leadership of the nation. It is not today that I started going into things that may look controversial to my fellow Christian brethren. When I was in school due to this prophecy I’m telling you about, I took it upon myself and said it is like God wants me into political leadership. I saw some things then in the direction of political leadership to liberate this country, which I have a role to play. When I entered the university, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, this made me to be active in certain activities. In my first year, I represented my class in the Students Representatives Council. It is like the legislative arm of government. After then, I now represented Law Faculty at the Students Union Government (SUG) in my second and third years. Coming to fourth year, I wanted to go for SUG Presidency. But then something happened that I became the Joint Christians Campus Fellowship (JCCF) President that spearheads the spiritual arm of the university life. So, SUG is more of political leadership. I said let me lead JCCF because I know they are almost the same thing. But before this happened, I started indulging in things that would look controversial to fellow Christian brethren and they deserted me. I won’t call names. That time I used to greet every one as man of God and they too would greet me back as man of God. As this was going on, I started indulging in school politics, and my brethren deserted me. Many of them were saying all manner of things. Any average Christian you see on the road, serious ones as I’m, will tell you that politics is a dirty game. But bad governance has actually affected everybody. You can imagine now that even Peter Obi can get to church and be celebrated. Before now, that couldn’t have happened and that was the stigma I suffered in school, that I was indulging in school politics. I was telling them that we can’t change this system without being involved. But it is like any time you want to take that route you are on your own. Brethren will desert you. But I will always tell myself that I know where I’m going. It has been the way of most brethren when you want to bring in something new that will bring either innovation just like this movement now. I ask some of them to help me in prayers. Some will say boldly to your face that there is nothing to pray about. One told me that the prayer point was dead on arrival. So, I began to do my prayer thing on my own.
Could those priests who objected to assisting you in prayers be described as spiritually empty?
No. I don’t like such derogative words for priesthood. They have their own view and I shouldn’t quarrel such. Some of the people that pray are not priests. But understanding matters. Some will be coming with their head knowledge, what they were told about polygamy, not even what the Bible is saying. They are not considering the scripture. They are using the residual knowledge, what they were taught and what the system of society adopted. Nobody is looking at what God is saying and what the scripture is saying over this and you see them quoting what is not scriptural and expect you to take it. As a lawyer, I know authority counters authority. If I’m telling you that God gave me something, all I need from you is to go in and pray with me. Come up with what the Lord is telling you and let’s look at it, and then if it is contrary, it calls for us to go for more prayers. If I tell you that the Lord is telling me this and you tell me with your residual knowledge, quoting what is not even in the scripture, how will I balance it? So, these are some of the challenges I faced during the time of making consultations and prayers over this. But at a time, when it became clear to me that this is what the Lord needs for the moment, I had to go for it. I must tell you it has not been easy. You hear words, you see so many things. In fact, you hear something you did in the dream world that you didn’t know you did something like that. It’s just people to fight you for you to close your mouth on it.
When did you make up your mind to quit priesthood?
Once you are a priest, you are a priest forever. That is the position of the scripture. I only resigned from the denomination, a platform that does not support what God has asked me to go and start because if I stayed there like someone was telling me, that it would have been better for me to be there, for internal change to take place. But it’s not possible because you can’t just be there and be preaching it. Once you are a priest, you are a priest forever. But preferment can be removed, let us say you are made a Canon or an Archdeacon they can be withdrawn, but as for being a priest that’s forever.
Are you still a Reverend?
Yes, I’m still a Reverend.
But not an Anglican Reverend?
Not on the platform of Anglican for now. God may have designed it for things to be changed from outside because I can’t stay in there and be voicing out these things otherwise I will be a rebel. To remain in the same system and be saying this will not auger well. But now that I’m out from the platform, what the Lord has started doing is what He intends to do and people see it, the church leaders see the truth in it. When this is settled I may fully come back because I have been an Anglican from birth.
It is rumoured that your wife has left you. Is it true?
That’s the same thing I’m telling you that I won’t discuss priest’s wife. She is a priest’s wife and I accord her that respect. If she ceases to be a priest’s wife anytime, I may now say what and what. But as long as she is a priest’s wife, I can’t discuss her.
Since your new teaching started trending, have you been going to church?
I’m free to worship anywhere, but sometimes I stay on my own and meditate.
So, you are saying in essence that anybody even priests are free to marry more than one wife? Can you back it up scripturally?
There are series of teachings that are coming up about the scriptural support. But when we get to that bridge, we will cross it. Why I’m saying this is that the scripture is clear on these things and we cannot twist the whole thing, the position of the scripture. You see homes are not in order because of embracing monogamy and saying no to polygamy. Men out there are messing up, heading for hell fire. In one of the revelations the Lord was asking me, Makua, how many are we even taking because of this truth we want them to embrace? I will still teach the benefits of polygamy, but in a jiffy let me just say that it will help men sexually. The composition of a man, sexual composition of a man is not the same as that of a woman. A lady can stay for months, and she will not be disturbed. But it’s not the same thing for a man. It’s just only few men like us that God has just helped so much that Holy Spirit has taken over you that you run for years and you will not bother about women until you do it with the rightful person. All men are not like that. All fingers are not equal. So, we should consider these things and then instead of allowing men to start derailing from God’s will and God’s purpose in marriage, allow them to know the truth. It will be a different ball game that the person knows the truth and refused to take that leverage God has given you in the scripture and then continue his way of life. That should not be hidden from men. Let’s say, a man marries two or three wives, if you have them more than one, that’s better. If this one is not emotionally ready for your sexual urge, another may be, instead of going outside. If it is where they are doing it turn by turn, before it reaches the person’s turn she must have already prepared her mind towards it, so that it will not be that you are raping your own wife.
So, what will be the maximum number of wives?
I will come to that teaching later. I will not say it here. It is not written black and white in the scripture, but there is a clue given to us. I will come to that later at the appropriate time. By God’s special grace, every Sunday there will be a new teaching, a new release on this. I enjoin people to follow up on my YouTube page, then you get to see my YouTube page and you follow the teaching.
Can you give any biblical quotation to support your teaching?
Exodus chapter 21 verse 10. So, what the scripture envisages there is that you as a man, the word “if” is a conditional statement, this “if” you desire is not by force it’s a choice. A’s choice may be different from B’s choice. So, let it be open the way the scripture has made it clear. A may decide for monogamy, good and fine; B may decide for polygamy, let not A begin to criticize B or B to begin to criticize A. It is a leverage the Lord has allowed perfectly in the scripture. It is open to personal choice. That goes to say that if the person is comfortable with monogamy, marriage bed must not be defiled. But if a man looks at himself and understands that he cannot measure up in monogamy, that he will still do an act that will take him to hellfire, it’s better he goes for polygamy and then maintain sexual purity with the Lord so that he will make heaven. That should be the bottom line.
How do you reconcile this teaching with the teaching of Jesus Christ which encourages one man, one wife?
Yes. I will get to that at the appropriate time. I won’t do it now here. My fellow Christians are getting it wrong. The body of Christ has actually quoted Jesus out of context. We will talk about that later.
Is it possible for someone who has wedded with the first wife to wed again with the second wife?
Yes. It is possible. It’s all about to solemnize marriage that has been contracted. It’s only that the certificate may differ. There is one that comes, binding by the Act. That is where law comes in. That is marriage under the Act. What’s wedding, if not agreement to be solemnized together? Wearing white gown is all about choice. You can wear any other material and then receive divine blessing. If the church can understand this…. It is difficult because the church has not understood it. So, there is nothing that stops someone having wedding photographs in the studio. I have seen people coming to wed, they wear ordinary dress as if they wake up from their home. They can hire wedding dress and take their pictures at the studio.
Can the second wife receive a certificate of marriage?
It is possible when the church understands it. What stops the certificate? Nothing.
Probably this teaching can also help decongest the growing number of spinsters in society?
It’s part of it. We will talk about that when we discuss the benefits of polygamy some other time. We are leaving so many of these sisters vulnerable because of what we have adopted as the practice.
