Pastors Divided Over Sack Of Ighodalo
August 14, 2009 14:53, 1,429 views

By Simon Ateba, Kazeem Ugbodaga & Funmilola Oyelola

Clergymen in the country have expressed divergent views over the sack of a popular provincial pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, by the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Ighodalo, who was the pastor of the Christ Church Parish of the RCCG, in Gbagada, a suburb of Lagos, was compelled to quit because he got married a second time, ten years after he separated from his wife, Lucy-Ann Summer, now married to another man. Ighodalo, an accountant, got married to former Miss Lux, Ibidunni Ajayi in 2007.

While the General Superintendent, Deeper Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi and the General Overseer, Four Square Gospel Church, Reverend Wilson Badejo, say that divorce is unscriptural and Christians who choose the path of divorce should not be pampered, other pastors say a man of God is free, according to a biblical injunction, to divorce his wife and remarry in the case of adultery.

“I don’t think it was right for pastor Adeboye to ask Pastor Ighodalo to resign because he remarried a second time. This matter is not to be looked at the way we want, but to see it the way the Word of God sees it. 1Tim 3:2 says that a bishop must be a man of one wife, and Jesus Christ said in Math 19:9, a man should put away his wife if she commits adultery! So if this woman had left her husband for ten years and had been living with another man, this pastor is free by the word of God to put her away and get married again,” Pastor Azuka of Faithword Ministry said.

Another Clergyman, Pastor Samuel Oduyemi of the Holy Order of Cherubim and Seraphim (Ayo ni o), Iba, expressed a similar opinion. He said: “The bible says in Matthew 18, except for the case of adultery, should a man divorce his wife. The bible says if a man marries legally, he is supposed to divorce his wife if she commits adultery. And if the divorce is going to take place, it is supposed to be legal. If they have been to the registry for marriage, then they should go to the law court for the divorce. If the divorce is legal, then, they are free to remarry to avoid temptation.”

According to Pastor Badejo, only death can separate a Christian couple.

Speaking on the sack of Pastor Ighodalo, the General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev. Wilson Badejo said the church has its policies that must be adhered to strictly.

“You are talking of somebody who was told that if you remarry, you cannot fit into our mould again. In the Catholic Church, for instance, you cannot marry at all if you want to be a reverend father or what we call priest. The moment you make up your mind to become a reverend father in the Catholic Church, you are bound by the law of celibacy.

“The Redeemed Christian Church of God says if you have a living partner, you cannot remarry. So, with that guiding principle, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo is aware of it; he has been with it over the years—he has been coping…except the Lord has now advised him to the contrary.

According to him, “We have biblical support to back the prevailing circumstance. When you read I Corinthians 7, that if your wife separates from you, it should be for a while and you should be rejoined together so that you are not tempted beyond measure.

“We have a similar case of that of Ighodalo in our church. One of our district overseers, whose wife deserted him for over 48 years, never remarried. It takes a lot of grace and takes grace to hear the voice of God. Our stand in the Foursquare Gospel Church is the same. However, what we say is that if come like that, you cannot be a leader but you can continue to worship in the church as an ordinary member. You are free to come in and join us in worship but you cannot be a worker or a leader. That is our stand. We won’t excommunicate you but you will not be a leader.”

Reverend Jonathan Itietite of Church of God Mission International, (Favour Embassy),Iba Estate, remarked that Christians now get divorced because of the attitude of their spouses, saying that Jesus Christ did not condone separation.

“The bible says what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. People divorce because of the attitude of their spouse. Even when Jesus was preaching, he did not condone separation.”

According to Pastor Erastus Deji of the Parliament of Faith Ministry International, also known as Peakmark Arena, Ogba, “It is true that in Christendom, divorce is not a thing to be celebrated because it has to do with separation and Jesus did not teach us to separate after marriage.

“Although most of this is obtainable outside the country in the African setting, divorce is not celebrated. Jesus told us basically on the ground that if the woman committed adultery, now separation will come in, but on the other hand, if the man is merciful enough to forgive, then, there should be no divorce. There could be forgiveness because God said you should forgive one another.

Evangelist Elishama Ideh of Christ Ever- Present Ministries, Ogba, said “there are different angles to marriage and divorce in the bible. If you look at the old testament in the time of Moses, he actually gave a view of a woman who is not happy living with her husband to take a divorce. But when Jesus Christ came, he disallowed that and said no man can divorce his wife except in the case for adultery. In the same new testament, a man and a woman are allowed to separate on the ground of adultery, and again Christ put it to us that though we can separate, on the ground of adultery, it is much better to forgive and be at peace. So indirectly, He is saying it is not really allowed, you should be able to forgive.

“There is another one again in the book of Corinthians 7:14-16. It says when the person departs, there is no case for forgiveness because the person has already departed, because it says a brother or a sister is not under bondage. You are to forgive because you don’t know if you are the one to save that person.”

http://thepmnews.com/2009/08/14/pastors-divided-over-sack-of-ighodalo

My gross in this whole saga is this: This man got married 2years ago in RCCG,,he was very close to the G.O. and other top echelon of the church.The who is who in RCCG were present in the wedding.
Further more, If the concept of whatsoever God joined together should not be put asunder,,,what do RCCG now wants him to do? To divorce his second wife? If he does that,wouldn't a further question be raised as to probably it wasn't God that joined them together in the first place.
My think is line with 1st Cor.15 verses 7,,,I think this pastor is freed from any bondage.Moreso, the fact he was married b4 doesn't mean it was God that validate such marriage,,well hope to see how this would be eventually resolved!!!

REAL TRUTH:

Moreso, the fact he was married b4 doesn't mean it was God that validate such marriage

this doesnt really make sense because marriage is not magic and what do you mean by God not validating a marriage?

People who were married before becoming Christians- should they divorce because they were joined by an Ifa priest, imam or whoever? Or are drive thru weddings in Vegas not valid?

Marriage is a social contract before any other thing. Many people miss this fact.

though I know if you join JW you have to let go all other wives you married after the first wife, no matter how long you'd been married. At least that's what I heard used to happen.

Different Denomination with different doctrines about the Marriage contract.

@poster, the only thing i understand here is that
1. The wife left the pastor to remarry
2. The man took a new wife after 10 of separation
3. Pastor Adeboye sacked him

Now, tell us - what made the woman to leave the man and even to remarry so quick - because i understand that in Nigeria in particular; it takes the grace of God for a married woman to get married the second time?

Tell us the problem - b/w the couples so that we can say our opinion - the story is just the middle , tell us the beginning,

Black_Revo:

Different Denomination with different doctrines about the Marriage contract.

certainly.

This story just goes on to underscore the hypocrisy redeemed church PLC is now notorious for.

obviously the GO doesn't read his bible or understand it, that is why he will claim the people are robbing GOD when the bible said it was the sons of levi that are robbing GOD. Shame on him

In short it is the GO and his elk that are robbing the children of God/ God through interpretation of the scripture upside down.

where did he do the weeding? which pastor officiated it? who n who attended d reception?

answer== rccg or?
theyve been together fr 2 yrs n nothing happened n nobody told them anything. how come they re now reading d church rules n regulation fr them
or pastor's ethics. OR d rules dat says dont remmarry even when yr partner has abandoned u fr another a new or updated law.

so d church want d man to stay lonely n die as a childless man or to be doing backyard biz with other sister then begetting out of wedlock children
which one is better sleeping around secretly which most of them does(chop n clean mouth) or come out openly to marry.
wonder" wonder " wonder" i wooondeeeeer""

This was the original story

http://thepmnews.com/2009/08/07/adeboye-sacks-popular-pastor-for-remarrying-10-years-after-divorce

One of the renowned provincial pastors of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, has been asked to quit the church.

P.M.News learnt that the pastor of the Christ Church Parish of the RCCG, in Gbagada, a suburb of Lagos, which is one of the most flourishing parishes of the church in the area, was compelled to quit because he got married a second time.

The General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, was said to have asked Ighodalo to resign because of this development.
•Ighodalo, the sacked Pastor

A source in the church denied that Ighodalo was sacked, adding that Pastor Adeboye advised him to resign because he had to remarry, contrary to Biblical injunction since his former wife is still alive.

Ighodalo was earlier married to Lucy-Ann Summer, also a Chartered Accountant like himself, whom he divorced. He later got married to former Miss Lux, Ibidunni Ajayi in 2007.

His first marriage was said to have been contracted abroad and when they could not produce any child, and his wife refused to return to Nigeria to join him. After he became born again, they broke up.

The Redeemed Church does not support remarriage, except when one’s spouse is deceased.

Ighodalo, whose first wife is not dead, reportedly waited for more than 10 years before taking Ibidunni to the altar.

His getting married again, P.M.News was told, has been encouraging other pastors of the Redeemed Church to also desire to divorce their wives and remarry. And this did not go down well with Pastor Adeboye

Ighodalo was said to have announced to his congregation that he was quitting the church.

However, P.M.News learnt from another source that the popular pastor resigned when he could no longer cope with the politics being played in the church.

It was gathered that some of his envious colleagues, who were not comfortable with his closeness to the GO, as Pastor Adeboye is called, were flexing muscles with him.

“This, at a point, led to his transfer to another parish. But his congregation at the Gbagada Parish kicked against the transfer and clamoured for his return, which prompted his recall. He had to quit eventually when the pressure from those who don’t want him in Gbagada was taking its toll on him,” said our source.

When P.M.News contacted Ighodalo on phone, he described the report that he had left the church as false.

He stated that he was still a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and declined further comments when asked about the circumstances surrounding his present predicament.

On 26 April this year, Ighodalo granted an interview to ThisDay newspaper where he spoke on why he divorced his first wife.

Ighodalo said he married a fellow accountant, Lucy-Ann Summer whom he said he met “while I was going up and down” in 1995.

He disclosed that Ann refused to join him in Nigeria and after much persuasion failed, she left. “Because the expectations from the marriage were not met, she met someone else that met those expectations…,” the pastor added.

Ighodalo later met another lady, Ibidunni Ajayi, then a Youth Corps member. The courtship lasted over four years, even though he proposed to Ibidunni after 18 months of friendship.

According to the newspaper, Ibidunni and Itua tied the nuptial knot on 26 February 2007 and was followed by the traditional wedding three days later in Ibadan, Oyo State.

You can also follow it on this thread https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-306910.0.html

Pastor Tunde Bakare Adds His Voice Also

Sack Of Ighodalo: Adeboye Was Wrong —Bakare
August 17, 2009 14:00 (1 hour ago), 604 views

By Eromosele Ebhomele

Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly has joined the growing number of Nigerians who have so far criticised the sack of Pastor Itua Ighodalo of the Redeemed Christian Church of God for remarrying 10 years after divorcing his former wife.

P.M.News had two weeks ago published a story about the removal of Ighodalo, who before his sack, was the Pastoral head of Province 18 of the church in Lagos. This comprises all the branches of the church in Gbagada Parish.

Pastor Bakare in his sermon titled ‘Mammon and Their Counterfeit Astonishing Power’, yesterday decried the sacking of Pastor Ighodalo.

According to the pastor, who spoke mostly in parables, this same church that sacked the pastor for remarrying would honour other inviduals with more than one wife, giving them front seats in the church.

Hear him: “As a young Christian, a man married a total stranger and when it was time for him to come home, his wife refused to follow him.

“The man came down, gathered people to intercede for him for 10 years while gathering the flocks for his God and after ten years, he decided to re-marry and all of a sudden, the church said they found it somewhere in the Bible that he cannot remarry, whereas those with three wives are given front seats in the church.”

According to him, such was the level of the degeneration of the church generally to the extent that those who belong to the occult would be given important personality treatment in the church at the expense of imparting strict religious doctrines.

Pastor Bakare said most churches have embraced sorcery in order to perform fake miracles.

The man of God also praised the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido for what he termed his bold steps for removing five bank managing directors.

While praying for Sanusi, Bakare said he was sure that the apex bank governor was ready to sanitise the banking sector.

“I know nothing would happen to him. I am not saying he is a saint, but God can use anybody he chooses,” the man of God said while advising all those who took loans from the banks to pay back in their own interest

http://thepmnews.com/2009/08/17/sack-of-ighodalo-adeboye-was-wrong-%e2%80%94bakare

I'm very saddened by this action because our G.O has many secret wives but nobody forced him to leave the church. Everybody knows that Sandra, one of the prettiest choristers in RCCG is the G.O's girlfriend. It is not fair to apply double standards in the house of the Lord.

And Adeboye has nothing to say to the American RCCG pastors in their second marriages?

qblaze:

I'm very saddened by this action because our G.O has many secret wives but nobody forced him to leave the church. Everybody knows that Sandra, one of the prettiest choristers in RCCG is the G.O's girlfriend. It is not fair to apply double standards in the house of the Lord.

baseless accusation

What do you mean by that?

Sandra is my second cousin. She has a picture of Daddy G.O's balls on her phone.

Me think the poor man was sacked because he wasnt bringing in enough congregation  or he was colllecting just copper coins as collection/donation and in todays church terms that mean loss of revenue

Black_Revo:


A source in the church denied that Ighodalo was sacked, adding that Pastor Adeboye advised him to resign because he had to remarry, contrary to Biblical injunction s[b]ince his former wife is still alive.[/b]

Ighodalo was earlier married to Lucy-Ann Summer, also a Chartered Accountant like himself, whom he divorced. He later got married to former Miss Lux, Ibidunni Ajayi in 2007.

His first marriage was said to have been contracted abroad and when they could not produce any child, and his wife refused to return to Nigeria to join him. After he became born again, they broke up.

The Redeemed Church does not support remarriage, except when one’s spouse is deceased.

Ighodalo, whose first wife is not dead, reportedly waited for more than 10 years before taking Ibidunni to the altar.

Easy solution here . . kill the ex! If Ighodalo had quietly arranged for the dispatch of his ex, he will be free to remarry.

You are wrong. He was sacked because Daddy G.O felt that he was getting too popular. The same thing happened to Tony Rapu. It's not about remarrying. Daddy has plenty wives O!

In fact, there is one Mama at Redeemed Camp that used to sell food at one of the shops.

nawa oh! just wen u think uve heard it all in naija! i luvd pastor itua! great and wise man! im shocked. I guess evryone has asked the same questions. why now after two years? wasnt the whole of rccg at the wedding? i rmbr that period now. well, God knows best. It is not in my place to criticize any1.

but then again, like sum1 said, the rules have been there b4 he became an rccg pastor. n no matter how legitimate his claims mayve been, theres the argument that u let one, u let all. so i no it was a tuff decision all round.

Oga O , a chorister has a picture of the G.O's unmentionables on her cell phone, How did you confirm they were his . Or have you seen them ?

This story is incredulous , if it is true only God can forgive what is done in his name

nna na wa Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

http://www.christiannigeria.com

Dats why i like jehova witness,none of their member wil attend his wedding.önly adultery or death can cause remarry.

qblaze:

What do you mean by that?

Sandra is my second cousin. She has a picture of Daddy G.O's balls on her phone.

and his balls looked like him abi?

Aha!

But it is easy to know G.O's balls. He has an "I am your Daddy" tattoo on the left one.

Daddy GO's balls resembles that of a goat's, hence, the moniker, Daddy GO which is short for Daddy Goat. It's a biological miracle, the only true miracle here.

@$osisi,

According to my cousin Sandra, who has dated several pastors, a pastor's left ball is always different.

Whoa!!! Pastors can be sacked!!

I did not know that. . . thought being a pastor was a calling.

You learn sum'n new everyday, that's for sure.