By Damola Emmanuel
Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, the founder and leader of the Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly, COZA, bowed to immense public pressure, Monday morning, and offered to step aside.
The swashbuckling pastor has been at the eye of the storm in recent days following allegation of rape slammed against him by some female members of the church.
Busola Dakolo, wife of popular singer, Timi Dakolo, flipped the Pandora box, last Thursday, when she pointedly accused the debonair pastor of raping about 20 years ago.
She made the allegation in an emotional interview she granted an online portal, YNaija, revealing that Fatoyinbo raped her in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, when she was just 16.
Before the present storm, the pastor had faced previous allegations of sexual misconduct from two women.
Dakolo’s allegation stoked an eruption within and outside the church in which other women have come out, accusing Fatoyinbo of raping them.
Despite initial denials by Fatoyinbo, and his wife who stoutly rebutted that her husband was a rapist, the embarrassing situation snowballed into a public protest outside the church’s headquarters in Abuja, and the Lagos parish, on Sunday, with protesters vehemently demanding the pastor’s resignation to save the congregation from further embarrassment.
Pastor Fatoyinbo appeared unfazed by the gathering storm, on Sunday, as he was at his beat and actually mounted the pulpit.
But on Monday, he capitulated, and submitted to public pressure. He took to his Instagram handle, and announced that he would be “taking a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church.”
Embattled Fatoyinbo admitted that “The events of the past few days have been sobering for me,” and had forced him to pray and seek counsel from spiritual leaders around the world as well as the leadership of COZA on the action he should take concerning the accusations.
“Drawing from their counsel and that of the leadership of the Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly,” Pastor Fatoyinbo continued, “and owing to my love for God’s work and the sacred honour of my calling, I have decided to take a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church.
“Although it would break my heart to tatters to stay a day without doing the ministry, I believe it is the right thing to do at this time. It is in the interest of the flock of Christ that issues concerning me do not become a distraction to their worship of their Lord.
“This step enables me to submit to the concerns of my spiritual mentors as they consider all the issues that have been raised against me.”
“My confidence in the Lord remains unwavering. Though, I do not understand all that is happening, I trust the Lord to guide and lead me one step at a time. Kindly pray for me and the congregation of COZA as we seek the face of the Lord at these turbulent times.”
Meanwhile, Timi Dakolo, the singer-husband of the pastor’s accuser, seems not impressed by Fatoyinbo’s decision to step aside as he has vowed to mobilise and sustain a seven-day protest march, spanning July 1 to July 7, 2019, in Abuja and Lagos, to press for justice for his wife.
Dakolo revealed this in a statement, on Sunday, adding that the protest march would help seek justice for other women who had been allegedly raped by the COZA pastor and, indeed, other pastors.
Below is the full text of Pastor Fatoyinbo’s statement, announcing he was stepping aside:
