By Eseoghene Emuke
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, has hailed the election of the Bishop of Ughelli Diocese and chairman of the State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bishop Cyril Odutemu as the Archbishop-elect of the Bendel Province of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).
Odutemu was elected on Friday to succeed the outgoing Archbishop of the province, His Grace, the Most Rev. Friday Imakhai, who will retire this year during the 2020 retreat of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church held at the Ibru Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State.
Reacting to the development on Saturday, he congratulated the archbishop-elect, stressing that the choice of Odutemu who has made tremendous progress in the Ughelli Diocese, will deepen the development and faith of the church.
Egbo, a Knight of Saint Christopher (KSC), stated this while speaking with our correspondent in Ughelli on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Odutemu: 10 Things You Should Know About New Archbishop Of Bendel Province
He commended the Church’s House of Bishops for electing Odutemu as Imakhai’s replacement, assuring that the archbishop-elect has the capacity to advance and sustain the legacies being left behind by the incumbent Archbishop.
Egbo said, “I wish to commend the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for electing my Bishop as the incoming Archbishop of Bendel Province covering the various dioceses in Edo and Delta States.
“Archbishop-elect Odutemu in the last ten years of being a Bishop of Ughelli Diocese has changed the fortune of our diocese and spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the nooks and crannies of the area.
“It is our prayer that through your new position that comes with greater demands and opportunities for you to do more, that God uses you to move the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) under your jurisdiction in the right direction.
“I have no doubts that you will function efficiently, effectively and with a high level of integrity as you discharge your duties in Bendel Diocese of the Anglican Communion.”
The APC chieftain, however, called on parishioners to support and collaborate with the incoming archbishop so as to move the province to an enviable height that will bring honour and glory to God through the preaching of the gospel.
