The Senior Pastor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, Chris Okafor, has stepped down from his pastoral duties amid growing public outrage over multiple sexual allegations levelled against him.
The development comes days after the cleric publicly apologised to actress Doris Ogala during a church service last Sunday, where he knelt on the pulpit, admitted to past “mistakes” and asked for forgiveness. His decision to step aside also follows his wedding to a new bride, identified simply as Pearl, on December 16, 2025 — a ceremony attended by prominent clerics despite Ogala’s viral accusations of betrayal, emotional manipulation and claims that he reneged on a promise of marriage after a long-term relationship.
As the allegations intensified on social media in recent weeks, with more women coming forward with varying accounts, NaijatimesUSA gathered that respected leaders within the Christian community pressured Okafor to temporarily step down in order to calm rising tensions.
A senior executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), who is close to the pastor, confirmed this to one of the correspondents.
“There are more things to be done in terms of disciplinary actions,” the official said, explaining that the festive period had slowed deliberations within the PFN, as meetings could not be convened to formally address the matter.
“Meetings could not be held to deliberate on actions against him (Okafor). But from the pressure from some of the leaders in the body of Christ, he has stepped down for a month. I believe that before the month ends, some decisions would have been made concerning him.”
When asked whether the PFN would investigate the allegations, the official clarified that the body lacked the statutory authority to do so. “I don’t think it is the PFN that should do that. We are not the police, nor are we a law enforcement agency. If there is an allegation of rape against a pastor, it is not the PFN that should investigate it. I want Nigerians to get this right: even if we do any form of inquiry, we cannot arrest anyone. This is a criminal case, and the government should step in.”
He added, “However, this does not mean that PFN does not act in situations like this. What PFN or the body of Christ can do is what we call spiritual pressure and discipline; there are other areas where the police should investigate. PFN does not have the statutory power to investigate or arrest when it comes to criminal allegations.”
The official stressed that while the PFN was engaging the issue quietly, its actions should not be mistaken for a formal investigation. “On Pastor Okafor’s matter, there are a lot of things PFN is doing behind the scenes, but I don’t want to call these things an investigation. It is not for public consumption for now. His stepping down is part of the action that PFN and the body of Christ pressured him to take. When we saw the enormity of the allegations, and it was already looking like a criminal matter, we had to step in and do our part, but the government also has to play its role.”
However, Okafor offered a different explanation for his decision during his sermon at the church’s New Year crossover service on Wednesday night, saying the move was divinely inspired and aimed at spiritual renewal. “I will be resting. It would be time for personal retreat with God and time for me and my wife to rest,” he told the congregation. “Since our wedding, we have not rested. We have not had time. We have not even done our honeymoon. So, we are stepping aside to pray, to have a retreat and to rest from this January, and to return better and stronger from the presence of the Lord.”
The pastor said the break, which he noted would not mean total absence from church activities, would last until February.
The wave of allegations against Okafor began on December 14, when actress Ogala shared a series of emotional videos on Instagram, accusing the cleric of engaging in a sexual relationship with her that allegedly began in 2017 and lasted for nine years. She claimed the pastor repeatedly promised to marry her before eventually marrying another woman in December 2025.