The General Overseer of Mountain of Liberty and Miracle Ministry, Chris Okafor, has withdrawn the apology he previously offered to actress Doris Ogala amid their highly publicised dispute.
Addressing his congregation during a church service, Okafor explained that his earlier decision to kneel and apologise was not an admission of guilt but a move influenced by pressure from associates. He maintained that complying with their advice made him appear to accept allegations he insists are untrue.
“You lose a fight to win a war. I was under immense pressure from certain people around me saying I should do different things. I said that what I am being asked to do is like accepting what I did not do. I realised I was greatly misunderstood,” he said.
Clarifying his motive, the cleric stated that his apology was aimed at shielding senior church leaders from controversy rather than conceding to Ogala’s claims.
“Firstly, the reason why I apologised was that the fathers of faith were being dragged. And I did not want them to be dragged. Pastor Matthew and Bishop Abioye.
“There is no single apology to that person. There is no apology for what I did not do or for someone I have not met face to face. I was pressured by people I called friends, but who are not.
“I knelt down because of those fathers. Not because of any Jezebel anywhere.”
Okafor added that he now prefers to let legal mechanisms determine the outcome of the dispute.
“We have chosen the right cause. And the right course will prevail,” he said.
The disagreement between the actress and the pastor began after news of his engagement to Pearl Okafor surfaced online. Ogala later alleged that she had been in a romantic relationship with him since 2017 and claimed she ended her marriage at his prompting. She accused him of betraying her after years of intimacy and promises of marriage.
The actress subsequently demanded that Okafor either fulfil the alleged promise of marriage or compensate her financially, eventually seeking N1 billion in damages. She also made further allegations linking him to the poisoning and death of her brother.
Despite the controversy, Okafor proceeded with his wedding ceremonies to Pearl. While he initially characterised the backlash as “the devil’s anger,” he later issued a public apology — a gesture he has now disowned, insisting it was misunderstood and motivated by a desire to protect respected religious figures rather than an acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
