THE Redeemed Christian Church of God has suspended Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, Senior Pastor of the City of David, Lekki parish of the church. He is also the head of the Apapa Family of the RCCG.
Pastor Iluyomade’s high profile dipped in late February 2024 when his wife, Siju organised a birthday bash barely a week after the then Group Chief Executive Officer of Access Holding Plc, Herbert Wigwe died in a helicopter crash in the United States. The crash also claimed the lives of his wife, his son and a business partner.
Mr Wigwe was not just a member of the RCCG who worshiped with the City of David parish, he was a very highly rated financial contributor to the church activities.
The ostentation reportedly displayed during the 60th birthday party for Siju not only infuriated the Wigwe family members but also informed their decision not to involve the church in the burial arrangements for the departed loved ones. Also, a purported directive issued to the RCCG never to come near his burial service could not be independently verified by Eighteen-Eleven Media at the time of the burial. However, the church played no role in the burial activities.
It was further gathered at the time that Pastor Adeboye purportedly issued a directive requesting Pastor Iluyomade’s resignation as RCCG City of David Pastor in order to calm frayed nerves and appease the family of Wigwe who had been infuriated by Pastor Siju Iluyomade’s flamboyant birthday party seen as insensitive to the mood of the moment.
Meanwhile, according to Church Times, Pastor Iluyomade’s recent suspension from the church was done via a letter over the weekend. He has since been replaced by Pastor Charles Kpandei of RCCG Resurrection Parish of Region 11 of the church.
It was gathered that Kpandei resumed at the City of David on Sunday, 2 June 2024, and was given a cold reception.
“Those in the City of David had been expecting Pastor Kpandei. Some top RCCG officials had to meet with some top people in the parish and confided in them that Pastor Idowu would have to be removed from the parish.
“They needed to get the confidence of these top people because of the great influence of Pastor Iluyomade in the parish. The RCCG was not sure of the outcome of its move, so it had to be discreet. He may not be returned to the parish after the suspension.
“We have just three months until the convention. It may be a way of taking him away from the place permanently. He has spent many years in that parish. He needed to be moved, ” Church Times quoted source.
Pastor Iluyomade was suspended for three months by the Governing Council of the church. A panel has also been set up to investigate some of the allegations against him and the parish.
Eighteen-Eleven Media recalls that the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye was said to have in late February written Pastor iluyomade and his wife asking them to resign as regional head of Apapa family and handover to his (Adeboye’s) son.
However, Pastor Iluyomade was said to have discountenanced the directive. Sources who spoke with Eighteen-Eleven Media claim that in response to Daddy GO’s (as Pastor Adeboye is fondly called) letter, Pastor Iluyomade wrote back stating that he would not resign. The couple reportedly also threatened to pull out of RCCG and rename the Trinity Towers building as, according to them, the majority of the loan they took to put the building in place was done by a special funding arrangement (SPV) and not directly as RCCG responsibility.
Hence, they cannot technically leave the church, as their name is tied to the building until they finish payment of the humongous loans.
This position is however at variance with the position reportedly pushed forward by the couple while the construction of the edifice lasted. Eighteen-Eleven Media gathered that a sizable chunk of donations by congregants was made to the building under the guise that it was an RCCG project started by the late Ps Eskor Mfon.
Meanwhile, aside from being the Pastor of RCCG Region 20, City of David, Pastor Iluyomade is also the Special Assistant to Pastor Adeboye on Christian Social Responsibility (CSR).
Eighteen-Eleven Media