Christ Embassy Church founder, Pastor
Christian Oyakhilome, and his wife, Rev. Anita Odegwa Oyakhilome, has entered
the final phase of the marriage dissolution, TheCable reports…………
Pastor Chris and Anita Oyakhilome are undergoing
divorce proceedings.
The wife is seeking divorce on the
grounds of “unreasonable behaviour” and “adultery”. She outlined several
allegations against the pastor which TheCable cannot publish for legal reasons.
The divorce case, with Suit No FD14D01650, was filed on April 9, 2014 at Divorce
Section A, Central Family Court, First Avenue House, High Holborn, London, UK,
on Anita’s behalf by Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors, a full-service law firm
with expertise in commercial law and a strong consumer focus in family, wills
and estate, personal injury law and medical negligence.
Efforts to reconcile the popular
couple, whose church is one of the biggest denominations in Nigeria and has
branches all over world, have failed. They have two teenage daughters, Sharon
and Charlyn. Oyakhilome is the president of Believers’ Love World Inc, the
registered name of the Christian ministry, while his wife is the
vice-president.
The pastor, according to an elder of
the church, has denied allegations of adultery and believes his wife was being
influenced by “bad friends” who were intent on destroying their home. While
Anita believes she has been relegated in the scheme of things in the church,
her husband has reportedly accused her of trying to usurp power and authority
above her seniors in the ministry.
Sources told TheCable that the pastor
had been making efforts to avoid divorce in the hope that the wife would
eventually have a change of mind. However, TheCable can also report that the
decree nissi was served on the charismatic pastor in his hotel room during a
recent visit to the UK. Decree nissi, in legal terms, is like a yellow card in
a football match which is a precursor to a red card (“decree absolute”) if no
new evidence is provided to stall proceedings.
Church insiders said Oyakhilome had
been hoping for rapprochement, but he was left with no option than to receive
the papers when the lawyers cornered him at his hotel in London. The decree
absolute, which will effectively end the marriage, is expected to be issued
soon while terms of the divorce will be worked out by the lawyers on both
sides.
TheCable learnt Anita recently wanted
to go public with the details of her allegations against the husband but
reached an informal agreement to sheathe her sword in the interest of the
church.
Oyakhilome is regarded as one of the
richest and most influential pastors in Nigeria, and co-authors the
fast-selling Christian daily devotional, Rhapsody of Realities, with the wife.
However, following the strain in the marriage, the wife had been complaining to
friends that her husband had stopped the payment of royalties due her from the
devotional literature.
“She complained of being deliberately
starved of funds, perhaps to bring her to her knees in the belief that she
would eventually return to her matrimonial home and mend things,” a church
member told TheCable in the UK.
A wealthy Zimbabwean businessman, who
is into telecoms, is one of the biggest financiers of the London branch of the
church which Anita pastors along with other branches in Europe. When the crisis
got to a head, the Zimbabwean stopped funding the church – some said in
solidarity with Oyakhilome, his close friend and neighbour in Johannesburg,
South Africa.
However, Oyakhilome was said to have
been shocked when the wife announced at a fundraiser that she was sowing a
“seed” (donation) of $1 million – despite her assumed lack of access to funds.
Matters got to a head on Sunday, July
13, 2014, when some relatives of Anita locked up the London branch of the
church to protest against the “humiliation” being meted out to their
sister who had not overseen services at
the branch since November 2013.
Some church members had sometime in
May 10, 2014 launched facebook campaign, asking: “Where is Rev. Anita
Oyakhilome?” They said Pastor Chris and Rev. Anita must unite “for the sake of
the gospel, the church and their two beautiful daughters”. They quoted Malachi
2:16 in the Message Bible: “I hate divorce, says the God of Israel.” The facebook
page, which has over 3,300 “likes”, was opened with a stated mission: “This is
a Call to Prayer for all believers who understand God’s heart concerning
marriage and a Call to Action by Pst. Chris. DoWhatYouPreach”.
Officials of the church quickly moved
to deny any rift between the pastor couple. One official, Kenneth Achumasara,
told the media last June: “I can tell you authoritatively that there is no
issue between Pastor Chris and his wife, Anita… If you go to the UK now you
will see her along with the kids. She is still with him and there is no issue
between them. I have been with him for 22 years and the Pastor Chris I know
cannot even utter such words as reported.
He will never address such a
gathering. She will soon be in Nigeria for a programme and I will definitely
invite you to have access to her.”
All efforts to reach the church in
Lagos failed last night. Pastor Sylvester Egbodaghe, Editor-In-Chief of the
Ministry’s newspaper, National Daily, did not answer calls or reply text
messages sent to him.
TheCable
don't believe the church deny rumour about divorce, thinks there is more going on
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