BY ISSAH OLEGOR
The legal battle between the founder and leader of Glorious Word Power Ministries International, Rev Isaac Owusu-Bempah, and Effiduase-Asokore Member of Parliament Dr Nana Ayew Afriye has taken a new turn, with reports that court bailiffs have been searching for the pastor to serve him with legal documents.
According to reports circulating in connection with the case, bailiffs have visited two properties reportedly associated with Rev Owusu-Bempah but have been unable to locate him.
The search is also said to have extended to his church at Odorkor, where his vehicle was reportedly seen, but those present allegedly told the bailiffs that the pastor was not available.
The reported difficulty in locating the pastor comes as his church has publicly shifted from an earlier posture of defending the controversial remarks to seeking reconciliation with Dr Ayew Afriye.
However, claims that Rev Owusu-Bempah is deliberately hiding or “running from” the bailiffs have not been independently established, and should therefore be treated as allegations until formally confirmed.
The plaintiff is therefore pushing for substituted service since Owusu-Bempah has been dodging service while the Church the second defendant in the case has been served with the court processes.
From accusation to apology
The dispute began after remarks made by Rev Owusu-Bempah during a church service on September 6, 2026, in which the pastor linked Dr Ayew Afriye and other prominent NPP figures to an alleged plan to attack him and his church.
The names mentioned included Anthony Abayifa Karbo, Sammy Awuku and Opare Ansah, alongside Dr Nana Ayew Afriye.
According to Dr Ayew Afriye’s statement of claim, the allegations portrayed him as being involved in a plan to mobilise people from the Ashanti Region to Accra to attack the church.
The MP denied the allegations and subsequently filed a GH¢10 million defamation suit at the High Court in Accra. He is seeking damages, a declaration that the statements were defamatory, a retraction and an unqualified apology, as well as an injunction against the publication of similar allegations.
The court documents show that the case followed the pastor’s earlier indication that he was prepared to face the MP in court if legal action was taken.
Church now admits MP was wrongly implicated
The position of the church, however, changed significantly on October 4, 2026.
During a church service, a junior pastor Rev Charles Owusu publicly apologised to Dr Ayew Afriye on behalf of Rev Owusu-Bempah and the church.
He said the church had accepted that the MP was innocent and that his name had been wrongly associated with the alleged plot to cause trouble at the church.
Charles Owusu said individuals who had allegedly planned to cause trouble had since abandoned those plans, adding that third parties had wrongly mentioned the MP’s name.
“Now we know that he is innocent in the case, and people just used his name in the whole plot,” he said.
He subsequently appealed to Dr Ayew Afriye to accept the apology and withdraw the lawsuit.
“So, you also, please, let us withdraw the court issue because your name, which was mentioned as part of the plotters to cause chaos in the church, is not true. So, let us make peace,” he appealed.
Settlement attempt puts case at crossroads
The public apology has effectively introduced an attempt to settle the dispute outside the courtroom, although the available reports do not establish that the GH¢10 million lawsuit has been withdrawn or formally settled.
The reliefs sought by Dr Ayew Afriye include not only financial damages but also a formal retraction, an apology and an injunction preventing similar statements from being made in future.
That means an apology delivered through the church may not, by itself, bring the legal proceedings to an end.
The reported search by bailiffs therefore adds another dimension to a dispute that has moved from a public accusation, to a defamation action, and now to an attempted reconciliation.
