The squabble between the founder of Believers Love World (aka Christ
Embassy) Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, and his wife, Anita, has further
worsened with Mr Oyakhilome now removed as a trustee of a United
Kingdom’s branch of the church.
According to Premium Times, with
Mr. Oyakhilome’s removal, his wife, Anita, now presides over a seven-man
Board of Trustees (BoT) of the N8.2 billion rich branch.
The six
other members of the board are Obi Chiemeka, Ifeoma Onubogu, Nkem
Odiakah, Raymond Okocha, Tony Obi and Uche Onubogu, all pastors believed
to be loyal to Mrs. Oyakhilome.
Mrs. Oyakhilome has for long
headed the U.K branch of the church, when the going was good between her
and her husband. Until what appears his sudden removal, he had since
inception presided over the BoT of the charity.
The new
development suggests that in addition to the matrimonial squabble the
couple is having, an intense power struggle and battle for the soul of
the U.K. branch of the church might be going on between the estranged
lovers and partners as well.
In fact, Mr. Oyakhilome had dropped
the first hint that there might be a hierarchical row in the church when
he reportedly accused his wife of acting like an equal and wanting to
overpower the authorities of the elders she met in the church.
A
review of documents filed by the church’s UK branch to the Charity
Commission of England and Wales, now show that Mr. Oyakhilome is no
longer a registered trustee of a branch of his church with total asset
worth over N8.2 billion (£31 million).
Until his recent but
abrupt removal, Mr. Oyakhilome was consistently listed as a prominent
trustee, since 1996, when the branch was established.
Contrary to
the church’s practice of stating reasons for the removal of trustees in
the past, no reason has been given for the removal of Pastor
Oyakhilome.
It is unclear whether the explanation for the action
would be given in the church’s annual report for 2013 which is yet to be
made public by the charity commission.
According to the church’s
financial statement, in 2009, five pastors were removed from the
church’s BoT after they resigned from their positions. That same year,
two others were appointed.
A Charity Commission spokesperson,
Sarah Hitchings, explained that it was not the concern of the commission
to know why charities remove or replace their trustees.
The
international office of Christ Embassy refused to respond to questions
sent through email neither did the international audit and accounting
firm, Mazars, appointed by the Charity Commission to run the affairs of
the church after it opened statutory inquiry into the finances of the
church following suspicious payment it made to connected parties worth
N941 million between 2008 and 2012.
However, church insiders
claim the removal of the pastor was a plot by his wife to take total
control of the affairs of the branch even as her relationship with her
husband of two decades deteriorates.
With his ouster, those who
should know said Mr. Oyakhilome has lost the locus to interfere in the
affairs of that branch of the church.
“He has been effectively
sidelined,” a church insider said. “The law in the U.K. does not
recognise him as an interested party in that branch of the church
anymore.”
But even the seven-man board led by Mrs. Oyakhilome has itself lost control of the affairs of the church.
On August 11, the U.K. charity commission effectively sidelined her
board and appointed an interim manager to take over the management of
the church.
In what it described as a “temporary and protective
measure,” the commission appointed Rod Weston of the international audit
and accounting firm, Mazars, to take over the running of the church.
The Commission said it is investigating the church over “a number of
serious concerns relating to the use of charitable funds, in particular
large connected party payments and the potential misapplication of grant
funding.”
Until investigation is concluded, Mr. Weston would
preside “over the management of the charity, including its staff,
assets, interests, and relations with third parties,” the commission
said.
He is also expected to discharge the functions of the church’s
trustees and take steps necessary to secure and take control of the
assets of the church.
The commission however added that the
activities of the church would not be suspended by the appointment as
the Interim Manager is expected to work with the pastors of the church
to ensure its religious and charity activities continue unhindered.
Mr. Oyakhilome is locked in a divorce battle with his wife, who has
filed an action at a London court to end their 20-year-old marriage.
Mrs. Oyakhilome accused her husband of “unreasonable behaviour”, a charge Mr. Oyakhilome has repeatedly denied.
At a recent church meeting, Pastor Chris, as he is widely referred to
by Christ Embassy members, warned church members against analysing the
squabble between him and Anita as the church is not a political party.
He reportedly described his wife as a “bitter and angry” woman who is
being influenced by bad friends who are out to seek his downfall. He
accused his wife of seeking to overpower the authorities of the elders
she met when she joined the Christian ministry.
As the divorce battle rages, Mrs. Oyakhilome’s profile has been pulled down from the church’s website.
Source: #Thisday_News.
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