The General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Pastor Elijah O. Abina, has accused his deputy, Pastor Emmanuel Oluwayemi o
The General Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Pastor Elijah O. Abina, has accused his deputy, Pastor Emmanuel Oluwayemi of using his bad character to cause division in the church and subsequently demoted him.
In a statement issued by Abina on January 26 and signed by GOFAMINT spokesperson Pastor Taiwo Holo, it stated that Oluwayemi would no longer serve at the Deputy General Overseer (DGO).
“Olayemi has been relegated to an Assistant General Overseer (AGO) in order to stem the tide of this unfortunate drift in the system,” the statement reads.
“The issue concerning Oluwayemi has been long on my table, spanning a space of about five years. His activities since he came to the office have had a very negative effect on the church,” Abina said.
“Way back in 2018, I noticed that the leadership style he brought to the office of the Deputy General Overseer was diametrically opposed to the servant-leadership style of Jesus Christ which this church is used to.
“This has led to division in the Church, which since inception, has been one united family. I raised this issue in a joint meeting of the Executive Council and the Advisory Board on August 1, 2019, during which I emphatically stated that I could no longer work with him as my deputy, and that I was convinced that he was not going to be my successor for the reason of the said attitude.”
“I have stated repeatedly that this is absolutely not a personal issue, but something that affects the well-being of the church.
“As a matter of fact, I know him to be very generous and charismatic but, he lacks the character of a servant-leader, and I have told him on many occasions that charisma without character leads to crisis.
“Part of his character defects is his desperate pursuit of the office of the G.O. This desperation is clearly obvious in his usual manner of taking official matters of the church to the public in order to whip up sentiments in his favour and to create resentment or disaffection for the church authority.
“All these events are unprecedented in the sixty-six year history of this church.”