Dr. Awusi’s jab has made me more popular – Apostle Nyamekye

Chairman of the Church of Pentecost Apostle Eric Kwabena Nyamekye says remarks by the Free Zones Authority boss have boosted his popularity.

The remarks were made during a Sunday evening service held to commemorate the birthday of Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, who also used the occasion to publicly apologise over the controversy.

Addressing the congregation, Apostle Nyamekye downplayed the tension, indicating he harboured no ill feelings despite the earlier comments.

“We want to pray for the Chief of Staff. As for this lady she has made me more popular,” he said.

He added, “Me, people like that I don’t think about them. Because she has just made our church and myself more popular.”

The respected cleric stressed that he had deliberately avoided responding to the remarks in a confrontational manner.

“If I held anything against her, like standing here to speak for 45 minutes, I would have said something about her,” he stated, urging members to move on from the issue.

Earlier, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah became emotional as he appealed to the church to forgive comments made by Mary Awusi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority.

“A few days ago one of our colleagues Dr. Mary Awusi slipped a bit against you and I would want to commemorate my birthday, to let the whole church forgive us,” he said, pausing as he fought back tears.

“It was just a slip. It wasn’t intentional done to malign our church.”

He continued, “I believe sincerely that you will accept her and accept us as your children.”

The controversy began after Dr. Awusi, speaking on Accra FM, cautioned Apostle Nyamekye against making statements she described as political.

“I am warning him not to descend to that level. If he lowers himself to become a politician, we will deal with him as a politician. His statement was highly political,” she said.

Apostle Nyamekye’s earlier comments had drawn attention to the impact of illegal mining, noting that pollution of river bodies had disrupted baptism practices, forcing the church to adopt alternative methods.

Despite the exchanges, the church leader maintained a conciliatory tone, encouraging unity and tolerance for differing opinions.