[ 2014-11-10 ]

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome denies adultery accusations, threatens to sue journalists
Though not denying the growing divorce scandal
surrounding him, the head pastor of Christ Embassy
Church, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has threatened
legal recourse against journalists publishing
stories about him and his wife, Anita's divorce.

The pastor, who spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Kemi
Pinheiro (SAN), called the accusations of adultery
a "false and malicious" attack against him and the
church.

“The attention of our client, Rev. Chris
Oyakhilome, and the church has been drawn to the
wave of false, malicious and fabricated stories
being published in the print and electronic media
about his person, the church and a matrimonial
cause between him and his wife," his attorney
stated.

Sharply criticizing the recent coverage of the
divorce proceedings, which the statement did not
refute, the release claimed that publishers went
so far as to fabricate claims that he had
committed adultery against his wife, Anita. These
contradict her claims that the leader of Christ
Embassy Church had indeed been unfaithful during
their "terribly degenerated" marriage, something
she disclosed through counsel to Premium Times
earlier Wednesday.

Characterizing the media's coverage of his wife's
efforts to divorce him as “complete distortion
of the facts in the pending proceedings in the
United Kingdom”, the statement cited the
coverage as "selfishly motivated" for political
and financial advantage.

Oyakhilome's counsel further said the media's
coverage was engineered to bring him and the
church shame and ridicule, though his wife was the
person who aired the allegations against him.
Earlier today, Wednesday, Mrs. Oyakhilome even
told Premium Times, through counsel, that the
marriage had "terribly degenerated".

The statement also acknowledged freedom of the
press, but quite contradictorily cautioned that
further action will be taken to safeguard the
image of the church and the pastor if coverage
continued. "Be warned therefore that unless the
concerned media houses desist from further
publishing words and stories which are false and
damaging of our client’s reputation and the
church, we shall, without further recourse to the
concerned publishers, promptly embark on
appropriate legal machinery with a view to
protecting our client’s reputation and that of
the church."

Source - MyjoyOnline

... go Back