Hans Miki was elected as the seventh Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon on November, 16, 2024, amid a fierce internal dispute between outgoing leader Fonki Samuel and a group of protesting church members.
The new leadership made up of moderator-elect Miki Hans Abia and Rev Ayuk Solomon, new Synod Clerk, grabbed 121 of 123 votes and 118 out of 123 votes respectively.
The elections were held after weeks of conflict that created strong opposing camps. From the election build-up to the day of the polls, a group called Truth House, heavily criticized the leadership of the outgoing moderator, raising concerns over the transparency of the scheduled elections. They accused Fonki of trying to install his supporters into key positions before exiting, in order to maintain grip over the church.
“We note that the key decision-making bodies of the Church have very quickly been stacked with people loyal to the outgoing Moderator” the group pointed out, saying the move represented the moderator’s determination to establish himself as “backseat driver” and reduce the new Moderator to a “marionette.”
Who are the new PCC leaders?
Reverend Hans Miki’s election came at the time his five-year mandate as Synod Clerk was coming to an end. He had become a household name after serving the church since 1997 when he was appointed as assistant pastor.
The Meta native, born in Tombel in the South West region, attended the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kumba, and currently holds a Masters Degree in Theology with a specialty in Systematic Theology.
The 58-year-old grew through the ranks of Treasurer and Presbytery Secretary at several church centres, before being elected in 2019 as the Synod Clerk.
He will lead alongside Rev. Ayuk Solomon who was elected as the eleventh Synod Clerk of the PCC. Rev. Ayuk was ordained in 2005. From Kembong in the Eyumojock subdivision, Manyu division of the South West, he was born in Ekondo Titi.
Both men were declared winners in the 2024 elections unopposed, after their rivals dropped out of the race.
Truth House vs Fonki feud
Weeks to the elections, the Truth House began mounting pressure on Rev. Fonki to resign and to give accountability for funds he had been accused of embezzling.
The T.H members held a press conference on November 14, before the November 16 vote in which the church leaders were criticized for exploiting “poor church members” through tithes and offerings.
Fonki was criticized and accused of multiple malpractices in the church, like, cyphonning church money, having sexual affairs with members for promotion to key positions and corruption.
The claims made by the Truth House members had an underlying worry — They said they feared the elections would be rigged.
However, the vote was held and the results were pleasing to the segregated church group. In a message, the members congratulated newly elected Hans Miki whom they had endorsed.
“His final election is certainly the Lord’s own doing, and an answer to our prayers,” the Truth House said in a statement.
Explaining why they had to put on a stiff resistance against Fonki, the church group said Fonki’s administration was characterized by “settlement of scores.”
They decried the use of language which they said did not reflect the image of the church. The group criticized the fact that they had been labelled “enemies of the church.”
“When a supposed shepherd uses a word as pejorative as ‘enemies’ on sheep within his fold, it disparages that shepherd more than it does the sheep.”
The Truth House said they stand ready “to help the Miki-Ayuk administration to clean up what they described as “ten years of obscurantism, corruption, embezzlement, lovelessness.”
The Fonki Samuel era
Rev. Samuel Fonki Forba was elected in 2014, serving for two five-year terms that have been challenging. Besides dealing with critics, he had to grapple with the Anglophone crisis and the Covid-19.
His tenth and last Presbyterian Church Day message to christians on November 10, 2024, highlighted several aspects of his administration. He said much progress had been made under his leadership, from infrastructural development to financial sustainability of the church.
In his farewell message, he said he is satisfied with what has been accomplished despite the shortcomings. He also asked for forgiveness; “A very busy mandate like this one would not go without ruffling feathers, hurting egos, undermining private ambitions, unmasking the powers and confronting the enemies of the Church” he said.
Unlike his predecessors, Samuel Fonki, 59, will be going back into the work force as a pastor to serve for about six years before retirement.