Buffeted by public opprobrium over alleged sexual escapes, the Senior Pastor of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, Chris Okafor, has stepped down from pastoral duties.
Saturday Punch, which broke the story, said the pastor told his congregation during the cross-over night worship, on Wednesday, that he was stepping down to allow him and his new bride enjoy some rest.
While confirming the pastor’s decision to step down for one month, Saturday Punch quoted a senior executive of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, as saying that the evangelical body was carefully examining the allegations against the Pastor with a view to determining appropriate actions to take.
Pastor Okafor and his heartthrob, Pearl, had tied the nuptials on December 16, 2025, despite uproar on the internet about his alleged sexcapades and reluctance to come clean from the weighty allegations that the actress, Doris Ogala, levelled against him.
Actress Doris Ogala had opened the Pandora box against the Pastor who she accused of manipulation, and getting her to commit multiple abortions for him only for Okafor to dump her for another woman.
Pointedly, Ogala accused Okafor of betrayal and manipulation, reneging on his promise to marry her, dumping her after a long time relationship during which, she said, the pastor turned her to a sex toy.
Those weighty allegations opened a floodgate of sleaze as more women came out, slamming sexual accusations against him.
At first, the Pastor denied any wrongdoing. Some members also jumped into the fray, vouching for their pastor, calling Ogala a gold digger who just wanted to exploit the man of God for money.. But rather than go away, the scandal festered, setting the internet on fire.
As the whirlwind continued against the Pastor, Saturday Punch reported that some prominent Christian leaders appealed to him to step down.
Last Sunday, Pastor Okafor reportedly knelt down before his congregation and begged for forgiveness, admitting some past “mistakes”.
“I will be resting,” Okafor told his congregation. “It would be time for personal retreat with God and time for me and my wife to rest.
“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.”
Great as that decision may seem, it may not necessarily seal the matter as the senior PFN executive that spoke to the Punch said: “There are more things to be done in terms of disciplinary actions.”
The senior executive was quoted as saying that PFN’s response could have been swift but for the holidays as meetings could not be held.
“Meetings could not be held to deliberate on actions against him (Okafor),” the executive told the newspaper. “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.”
Asked if the PFN would investigate the allegations against the pastor, the executive told the newspaper: “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.
“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.”
He, however, added that although PFN was engaging the issue quietly, its actions should not be misconstrued as 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.”
