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.
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.
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."
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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