Amidst rumours and controversy over the loud birthday celebration of Pastor Siju Iluyomade, wife of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade,Regional Pastor in charge of Region 20,of the Redeemed Christain Church of God,RCCG, the church has denied any move to replace the Pastor with Pastor Deolu Adeboye,son of Pastor Enoch Adeboye,General Overseer of the church.
A top Pastor in the mission who spoke with Newdawnngr on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue made the clarification.
Besides,he said it is clearly against the Church’s administrative procedure to speak in the public on a matter clearly within the church administrative and structural purview adding that those peddling such wicked rumours are so doing in order to distract attention of the church leadership against any misdemeanor the City of David,COD, leadership might have done.
It will be recalled that after a video in which wife of Pastor Iluyomade,Siju, celebrated her 60th birthday went viral,members of the public has commented in various ways on why such an event should take place coming closely after the demise of Herbert Wigwe,the chief executive officer of Access Holdibgs regarded as one of the financiers of the parish where her husband presides.
The birthday bash in question took place on Sunday February 18, barely ten days after Wigwes death.
According to the top RCCG Pastor,it is within the right of the church to take any action against any erring Pastor irrespective of his position and standing in the Church since he is under authority in his dealings and hence could not have been above board.
Said he,” ID is not higher than the RCCG and the fact that he facilitated the building of the Tower does not make him bigger than the Church since people are supposed to make sacrifice for building the church for God and not on personal aggrandizement.
“As a worker in the RCCG,anybody could be transfered to any Parish as a soldier of Christ, so those seeing a probable transfer as punishment does not know how RCCG is structured.
Speaking further on the rumoured replacement of Pastor Iluyomade who is Pastor in charge of Region 20 where the City of David-easily one of the largest parish of the RCCG in Nigeria, said as a senior Regional pastor, could not be replaced with a junior Pastor like Pastor Deolu Adeboye who was recently appointed Assistant Pastor in charge of Province CSR2(APICP 2).
“Should any decision be made to replace Iluyomade,there are over 20 senior pastors in the Apapa family where the City of David is domiciled.” he said.
He affirmed that by position , Pastor Adeolu who is just APICP 2 is by far junior to the Regional Pastor and could not be elevated to such position by the structural set up of the mission where there are many substantial Provincial Pastors with over twenty years above him.
“The RCCG is not into making noise about it’s own internal administrative procedure but definitely those spreading such unfounded rumours are merely wasting their time.
“Assuming ID made a mistake,he is not above being disciplined as he does not want to break his head over such things.”
Pastor Siju Iluyomade,wife of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade,during her 60th birthday celebration
Still on the issue of transfer,he contended that “it is not a big deal to transfer anybody in RCCG since we are all workers and soldiers in the vineyard of God”.
He said that those spreading the rumours are doing so because Pastor Iluyomade spearheaded the building of the Trinity Towers regarded as one of the best Parish of the mission adding,”what he has done is a sacrifice which people are expected to make for the growth of the church.”
“This does not make him bigger than the Church”.
On the demise of Wigwe,he said that the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has paid a condolence visit to the parents of the deceased as members and Elders in the Church.
As regards the burial of the late bank CEO,he said that it is the responsibility of the Church of which he is a member to handle such things.
