A High Court in Accra has placed a temporary injunction on efforts to install Israel Kwadwo Safo, popularly known as Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena, as the next leader of the Kristo Asafo Mission, pending the determination of a legal challenge over the church’s succession process.
The court action was initiated by two senior members of the church, Kweku Agyenim Boateng, a former Deputy General Secretary of the Kristo Asafo Mission, and Seth Appiah Richard Brown, who are contesting the legitimacy of the planned installation following the death of the church’s founder, Apostle Emeritus Dr. Ing. Kwadwo Safo, in September 2025.
The lawsuit, filed at the High Court in Accra, names the Kristo Asafo Mission of Ghana, Israel Kwadwo Safo, also known as Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena, Festus Owusu Badu, Dr. Kwadwo Addo Oduro and Robert Ntiful as defendants.
According to the plaintiffs, although Israel Kwadwo Safo was at one point designated by the founder as a potential successor, amendments made to the church’s constitution in 2024 altered the succession framework and effectively disqualified him from assuming the leadership position.
The plaintiffs contend that the constitutional amendments represented the final wishes of Apostle Kwadwo Safo regarding the future governance of the church and must therefore be respected and implemented.
They argue that plans by some elders of the church to install and publicly present Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena as leader are inconsistent with the church’s constitution and should be declared unlawful, null and void.
In their suit, the plaintiffs are seeking declarations that the 2017 Constitution of the Kristo Asafo Mission and its 2024 amended version remain the supreme governing instruments of the church and that any succession process must strictly comply with their provisions.
They are also requesting an order restraining Israel Kwadwo Safo from presenting himself as the leader of the church, as well as a perpetual injunction preventing the church, its Council of Elders and other officials from appointing, installing, presenting or recognising him as leader until the constitutional requirements are fully satisfied.
The plaintiffs maintain that the succession dispute has already created uncertainty and divisions within the church and could threaten the unity and stability of the religious organisation if not properly resolved.
Accompanying the suit is a penal notice warning the defendants, members of the Council of Elders and any persons acting on their behalf against proceeding with any installation or recognition of Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena as leader while the matter remains before the court.
The notice further cautions that any individual who disregards the court process and proceeds with actions related to the installation could be cited for contempt of court and face sanctions, including possible imprisonment if found guilty.
