Recent days has not brought good tidings to a popular pentecostal church in Abuja as the founding pastor found himself embroiled in a storm of controversy. The pastor, who is the brother-in-law of a famous bishop and also once served as a pastor in the latter’s chapel, is now facing serious allegations of infidelity and moral recklessness.

The accusations against the Yoruba pastor stemmed from his wife being reportedly expelled from their marital home, allegedly due to another female church member now occupying her place by her husband’s side.

The most recent allegation involves an alleged affair between the pastor and a church member named Annabelle.

According to sources, Annabelle is allegedly enjoying a lavish lifestyle, courtesy of her relationship with the pastor. It is claimed that he has rented a luxurious house worth N3.5 million per annum for her in one of Abuja’s elite neighborhoods, gifted her a Mercedes Benz SUV, and provided financial support for her business endeavors.

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Sources revealed that suspicions arose when the pastor began accusing his wife of abandonment and subsequently locked her out of their home upon her return from an overseas trip. He further accused her of financial improprieties and assumed control over the management of the church’s schools in Abuja and Ilorin.

However, insiders close to both parties claimed that the pastor allegedly fabricated negative stories about his wife to justify her expulsion, while engaging in a relationship with Annabelle.

A worshiper, who has been associated with the church for over a decade, revealed, “Initially, we all blamed wife until we realized that our pastor was manipulating the entire church. In fact, we discovered that on the day he locked his wife out, it was because his new mistress, Annabelle, was inside the house.”

Furthermore, the source alleged further: “Pastor has replaced all domestic staff, drivers, and others at the behest of Annabelle. It is shocking that after ejecting wife, Annabelle packed three of her dresses and sent them to her when she asked for clothes since she had been rendered homeless.”

There have been reported cases of infidelity against the same pastor in the past.

A woman named Geraldine, who was a member of the church, allegedly bore two children for him. Sources alleged that when the pastor’s wife discovered the first pregnancy and birth, he attributed it to the influence of the devil.

“The devil seems to have remained with him because Geraldine gave birth to a second son,” claimed the source.

It is alleged that the pastor bought Geraldine a house in the UK using church funds and allegedly continues to financially support her and the children.

“Geraldine is a lawyer and has a home in the UK bought for her by the pastor, with church money. He pays the school fees for the kids. She bears pastor’s middle name as surname.”

Additionally, another woman, who worked as an usher at the church, reportedly left due to her guilty conscience whenever she encountered the wife. It was alleged that she also had a child for the pastor.

A source said she had allegedly went to the pastor’s wife saying she could no longer live with her conscience.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.