Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
Embattled founder of Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, has stepped down as Senior Pastor of the church as demanded by some protesters outside his church premises today.
Few days ago, celebrity photographer, Busola Dakolo, wife of popular singer, Timi Dakolo, accused the man of God of sexually molesting her when she was a teenager some years ago in Ilorin, Kwara State, where COZA started from.
The allegation drew national interest with protests staged at branches of COZA across the country, with Pastor Fatoyinbo asked to step down from the pulpit to clear his name of the mess.
At the church service at its Abuja national headquarters, the cleric did not take the sermon as usual. His wife was given the responsibility to minister to the congregation.
After his wife’s ministration, the clergyman mounted the pulpit to announce that elders of the church were looking into the matter and that he was excusing himself from activities of the church for proper investigation.
Pastor Fatoyinbo, who is not facing such rápe accusation for the first time, also announced the cancellation of the church’s forthcoming programme, Seven Days of Glory Conference earlier scheduled to start on Monday, July 1 to 7, 2019.
Instead, the man of God asked his members, who he thanked for their huge support, to commence intense prayers.
According to him, he was “directed by the Holy Spirit” to suspend the programme that was supposed to commence tomorrow and had other ministers of God invited to speak at the conference.
“Thank you, my members, for your support. I am the most blessed Pastor in the world right now.
“It took me a long time to get here today, I didn’t like what I saw outside because this was not what I want to put my members through.
““I’m discussing with my mentors and elders of the church are on the matter.
“With what is going on, we would be having prayers and not Seven Days of Glory,” he told the congregation, who further expressed their solidarity for him.
