News
Ogala saga: She’s not my daughter – embattled Pastor *VDM will pay heavily
Chris Okafor, Senior Pastor of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries, otherwise known as Grace Nation Liberation City, has finally moved to clear his name from the scandal trailing him in recent days, starting from the faceoffs from Doris Ogala, who claimed to be his mistress, over “unfulfilled” sour relationship.
Ogala, an actress, had last week, heaped multiple allegations on the cleric, including sharing intimacy with her since 2017 and a promise to marry her, which had now failed as he went ahead to marry another woman.
The vocal actress, who was arrested and detained by police operatives on Sunday, was eventually released on Tuesday, bringing to an end a chapter in the sordid development that has kept the Nigerian social media busy since the first revelation.
However, the cleric who maintained on Wednesday that he was not troubled by the allegations from his accuser, vowed not to toe the same line with the second set of allegations, which came from another young woman, who claimed to be his daughter.
Claiming principally that she was abandoned by the cleric, her supposed father, the young lady, had approached Vincent Otse, a popular activist and influential social media face, otherwise known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), where she poured out her heart on her years of ordeals.
Okafor, told reporters on Wednesday, through Maxwell Opara, his lawyer, that he would not allow the allegation lying low, as the said young lady, was never his daughter as claimed and as has since been claimed by Deoxyribonucleic acid otherwise known as DNA, test.
Opara, said he had notified the social media influencer of his representation on behalf of the cleric and his instruction to demand a retraction and full apology on the pains of full consequences of the law.
Opara told his audience: “We are counsel to Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, hereinafter referred to as Our Client on whose instructions and instance we are issuing this press briefing in conjunction with concerned members of civil society group.
“It has come to our notice and as well as to the public domain of Cyber Incitement, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Harassment, Cyber Stalking, Criminal Defamation, and malicious acts of impostor perpetrated by Martins Vincent Otse (Popularly Known As Verydarkman) and one young lady who introduced herself as Miss Chi against our Client, Pst. Dr. Chris Okafor, the Senior Pastor; of Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministries; also known as Grace Nation Liberation City.
“You recall that the said criminal acts of cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking, scandalous and libellous articles and comments against our client started by One Ms. Doris Ogala and cohorts; however, our interest in this press briefing is not on her and her laughable and gold digging story calculated to exploit our client through cheap blackmail, taking into account the ongoing investigations and interventions of different law enforcement agencies. “We would respectfully, allow the wheels of the law to take their full course in that regard. It is however worrisome, that whilst the above remains inconclusive and under investigation, a disturbing and disparaging story began to make rounds, setting the social media space agog and trailing blaze again the personality of our client.
“It has come to our attention that an individual who identifies herself as Ms. Chi Okafor has been presenting herself online as the biological daughter of our Client (Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, making false and misleading claims regarding his personal life and family relationships, alleging abandonment and neglect of paternal responsibilities on the part of our client.
“Ordinarily, our client decided not to join issue nor respondent to any characterless, jobless agents of destruction in that he is already aware of where those who are using them trying to pull down his Ministry but he has decided to respond to the falsely claim by the said Miss. Chi that she is the biological daughter of our Client (Pastor Dr. Chris Okafor, so as to put the record straight.
“We wish to make it categorically assertive and unequivocally clear that those claims as alleged by the so called Ms. Chi Okafor are frantically untrue, misleading, malicious, inciting, and injurious to the personality and character of our client.
“But before we narrate the proper story, let me inform you that our client has written a warning letter to Martins Vincent Otse (Popularly Known As Verydarkman) who used his social media handles, such as, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc. has continuously harassed, defamed and incited members of the public against our client and threatened our client in the name of activism, just to destroy him and his Ministry and satisfy his paymasters.
“One wonders how an acclaimed activist unlawfully published an interview of a lady who claimed to be our client’s biological daughter, which is “totally false” criminally defaming our client all over the internet, without having the decency to reach out to our client to hear his own side before publishing such malicious, self-serving contents all over the internet, just create content and cheap popularity having known that our client as a pastor may not response to him on social.
“For the record, we wish to straighten out the facts, which the impostor has intentionally hidden, twisted, and perverted in other to ruin the goodwill our client has built over the years in life and Ministry.
“It is the instruction and brief of our client that several years ago, early in his pastoral stage, a certain woman came up and alleged that she’s pregnant for our client; being a responsible and a respected young gospel preacher, our client accepted responsibility and decided to marry the lady in question. Shortly after that, the lady began to live a life unbecoming of a preacher’s wife, and unfortunately, she took in the second time. Our client continued to shoulder the responsibility as the father in the pursuit of peace and unbroken home.
“In the course of life, unfortunate ordeals befall our client, who was kidnapped and kept away for about 50 days or so. At that time, the kidnappers reached out to the supposed wife of our client for ransom, but she denied knowing our client and at a point, the extended family members of our client, intervened, raised money and gave the supposed wife to secure the release of our client, her husband, unfortunately, the woman diverted the money and made a fool of the kidnappers.
“By divine intervention and mercy, our client was released from his abductors without any help from the supposed wife, despite the larger families’ intervention.
“When our client was released, he had misunderstanding with the supposed wife flowing from her neglect of him whilst he was abducted, and in the heat of argument, our client queried the sincerity of her love for him if she could not stand by him in trying moments. It was in the heat of that argument that the woman uttered a comment to our client thus; “do you even think that children of this marriage are yours,” and having made such assertion earlier, our client, attached weight on the second assertion and demanded for a DNA test.
“Ladies and gentlemen, shockingly, the DNA test returned as negative, a testament that neither the first nor the second child belonged to our client. The certificate of that DNA test is with the impostors’ mother and our client challenges the estranged wife to produce the said certificate or test result.
“Consequently, upon that fact, our client and the impostors’ mother ended the supposed marriage and both severed personal ties following a DNA test that conclusively established that the children in question are not his biological children. The woman left with the children of the marriage.
“Despite this finding, and purely out of compassion and goodwill, our client has continued to provide support toward the children’s education and general welfare, up to the stage of their career in Canada and United Kingdom respectively. A gesture that should not be misrepresented as acknowledgment of paternity.
“Gentlemen of the Press, any assertion suggesting abandonment of a spouse or children by our client is therefore false, misleading, disparaging, cyber bullying and defamatory.
“Let us reiterate here for emphasis purposes that the ongoing public portrayal of Ms. Lilian Okafor and her sibling as our client’s children, as well as the publication of statements alleging abandonment, constitute misrepresentation and libel. Such actions are damaging, misleading, and unacceptable.
“Consequently, we formally demand the following:
- Immediate retraction of all false, defamatory, and misleading statements published online or elsewhere concerning our client, followed by an apology in 2 national dailies, a copy of the apology be sent to the appropriate authorities.
- Cessation and desistance from further presenting or implying any familial relationship with our client.
- Challenging the imposter to avail herself and her sibling for DNA test in the choice health facility in the absence of the prior DNA certificate with the other accounts.
- The Removal of all content that falsely associates him with claims of paternity or abandonment.
TAKE NOTICE that failure to comply with these demands may leave our client with no alternative but to pursue appropriate legal remedies to protect his reputation and integrity.
“This statement is issued to clarify the facts and to prevent further dissemination of falsehoods, a committed to upholding truth, dignity, and fairness.”
Justice Centus Nweze was one of the seven S’Court justices that gave the judgement sacking Emeka Ihedioha and pronouncing Hope Uzodinma Governor of Imo State on January 14, 2020.
He later recanted when Ihedioha returned to the same court and declared that Uzodinma was no longer fit and proper to be governor – the only one out of the seven to hold a different view out of the seven-man panel in a dissenting judgement.
These were his exact words on March 3, 2020, with which he emphasised his position after disavowing his earlier position, to capture the impact and import of that event: “The decision of Nigeria’s Supreme Court on the Imo governorship election is wrong and will continue to haunt our (Nigeria’s) electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.”
But, on Monday, February 6, 2023, Nweze himself, was to lead the same Supreme Court to give another highly controversial judgement – one – legal purists considered no less impactful and damaging to Nigeria’s legal jurisprudence.
It was the 3-2 Supreme Court decision that paved the way for Ahmad Lawan, former Senate President, to return to the Senate, despite being supposedly barred by an existing law forbidding politicians to contest for two different positions in an election circle.
Recall that Lawan, was one of the candidates that contested for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a few months earlier, which was eventually won by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now President of Nigeria.
Many had practically laughed it off, dismissing him as a jester, when he returned with a fresh struggle for the Yobe North ticket for the Senate under the same APC.
But it turned out that the real joke was on these naysayer, who taunted, mocked and even pilloried the former Nigeria’s number three citizen, because in the end, he came out thumbing his chest and shinning his teeth in triumph.
Reason! On Monday, February 6, 2023, the Supreme Court practically wrenched the APC ticket from Bashir Machina, who had earlier picked it at the APC primaries months earlier and handed same over to Lawan.
Guess whom the mantle fell on to read the lead-judgement? The selfsame Nweze, who made the statement above. With two others in support, he went ahead to decapitate the decision of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier thrown into the thrash-can Lawan’s appeal to a Federal High Court decision slamming his claim to the ticket.
Interestingly, Lawan, seemed too ashamed to continue with the matter after the attempt at the appellate court collapsed. He had to hide under the umbrella of the APC, who appealed on his behalf to get the judgement at the apex court.
But you know what? On July 30, 2023, Centus Nweze, died! Just barely six months after the outing. He was just 64 – six years shy of age of retirement for Nigerian judges.
Now, the story. A little message-bearing-bird, squealed that the late eminent jurist didn’t die a happy man.
The establishment was said to have moved in to make him eat his words for stepping out of line in the Uzodinma case. The decision was supposed to be unanimous and giving a dissenting judgement was an affront – more like challenging the gods!
The Lawan outing was the height of teaching him a lesson on how to play ball next time. And play ball he did!
He was procured to read the lead judgement as a way to punish his impudence, underscore his vulnerability and prove where the real power laid.
An erudite scholar, judicial perfectionist and purist of the highest order, whose track record was known beyond the judicial circle, he not only became a wreck thereafter, and unable to live with his conscience, he apparently died a broken man.
Now, it is hard to authenticate this. Nweze is no longer alive to tell his story. But it all the same points as an indicator to the fact that a lot of water passes under the bridge in the nation’s high places, including the judiciary.
Were Nweze alive today, may be one day, in his memoir or other places, Nigeria could read the true story of what actually happened with Lawan, with powerful forces and with intimidation. But do we even need to go that far?
In which other country of the world has the homes of judges been burst open in the middle of the night – many still in their underpants or completely in their birthday suits?
In which other country, has the Chief Judge of the country suffered the fate meted out to Walter Onnoghen by the executive branch of government? Did we not see these with our own eyes?
Has Nigeria been the same ever since? So, if you looked around today and you didn’t find the Kayode Esos, Chukwudifu Oputas, Niki Tobis et al, who looked the military in the face and dispensed justice according to law, who do you blame?
Who is the culprit if the only people who you see are those who receive keys to mansions and sing lustfully – On Your Mandate We Shall Stand? Through where did water enter the coconut?
My name is Sunny Igboanugo, I’m The Tiny Voice!
After a groundswell of outraged from many Nigerians the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday, said it is putting forward the proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise until after the 2027 general election.
Mohammed Haruna, spokesman of the commission, said in a statement, explained that the decision to shelve the move came from a meeting it held with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, said in the statement: “The proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise was considered during the meeting, after which it resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election.”
Explaining the rationale for the exercise, which Joash Amopitan, INEC Chairman, said was initiated during the tenure of Mahmoud Yakubu, his predecessor, the commission, stressed that the exercise remained a “vital component” of its mandate to maintain a credible and up-to-date National Register of Voters.
The statement, added: “It is designed to verify and review existing voter records, ensure the accuracy of personal data, eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries, and strengthen the overall integrity of the voter register. The exercise also aims to provide an opportunity for registered voters to confirm their details and make necessary corrections where required.”
Reaffirming its commitment to delivering “free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections,” noting that the postponement is aimed at ensuring a smooth build-up to the 2027 polls, the commission said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), it had initiated, would run from April 2026 to January 2027, alongside the ongoing deployment of technologies like BVAS and a hybrid results transmission system.
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), will favour a situation where Nigerian courts will no longer leave the interpretation of their orders to either parties in a dispute or the public at large, rather than making them as direct and clear as possible.
Afam Osigwe, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), President of the body, told his host on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that courts must avoid the use of complex phrases in their rulings.
Against the backdrop of the diverse interpretations being adduced by parties, lawyers and Nigerians to the order of the Court of Appeal that parties to the legal dispute in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), should maintain status quo ante bellum, the NBA boss, explained that it resulted from the use of the Latin maxim rather than a clear and unambiguous order to prevent confusion and misinterpretation.
Hear him: “I think, considering the confusion that is arising in our body polity in recent times, our courts should not make orders using such Latin maxims like status quo ante bellum or pendente lite.
“The court should make clear orders as to what it means so that there is no ambiguity. It (status quo ante bellum) creates confusion. We have rendered it almost meaningless.
“It has been stripped of any clear meaning, so our courts should avoid using such phrases and instead specify what orders they are making so that nobody will be left in doubt, and no administrative body will have to interpret it and try to give its own decision on it.”
Stressing on the use of the Latin phrase that means the situation as it existed before the war, the NBA president further stated that vague court orders often led to multiple interpretations, with different parties claiming victory.
“I see situations where people go away rejoicing that the order was in their favour, thereby giving room for mischief or for anybody to interpret it the way they want.
“Where a court has chosen to make an order, it should state clearly what it has set out to do and not hide behind any Latin maxims,” Osigwe added.
Arguing that while such expressions might not pose challenges in other jurisdictions, where laws were not deliberately disfigured, the Nigerian peculiar environment had made them not only confusing but difficult to apply in resolution of disputes.
Centus Nweze (JSC): Death of legal purist, irony of Nigerian judiciary
After public outcries, INEC recants, shelves voter-revalidation move
Stop using Latin phrases, make clear, unambiguous orders – NBA tells courts
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