As bold as he is believed to be, Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Ministries has avoided any public comments on the unfolding drama between him and his erstwhile spiritual son, Bishop David Abioye, now the founder of Living Word Conquerors Global Assembly, Abuja . Oyedepo is vocal and, unarguably, one of the most consistent critics of the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his predecessor, late Mohammadu Buhari. Apart from his sustained gospel of prosperity, the stupendously wealthy preacher is heavily famous for spewing diatribes on the pupilt, dragging political leaders and placing curses on those responsible for the social decadence economic malaise plaguing Nigeria. That is vintage Oyedepo, a pastor with a prosperous anointing and vociferous ranting against social vices and lethal offences of maladministration. But our bishop has been quiet about the trending news involving his spiritual protege, Abioye. Conversations about the developments only exist in whispers and cold gossips. On Sunday, March 4, 2026, top echelons of Nigerian pastors gathered in Abuja for the formal inauguration of Abioye's new church, Conquerors Arena, a mind blowing edifice put together in just few months. The roll call of big pastors at the event was intimidating. But Bishop Oyedepo was conspicuously absent. For 40 years, Abioye served his boss without blemish. And according to the Living Faith founder, Abioye didn't flounder for once " He has never caused me pain, not once" Oyedepo once said in a viral video. With such an impressive testimony from a proud father of an accomplished son, why would Oyedepo not honour an Abioye on such a glorious epoch? Could that be a sign that Bishop, the father has distanced himself from Bishop, the son? Oyedepo tried to dismiss Abioye's exit from the Living Faith Ministries recently when he told his congregation in Ota that " There is no church that people don't leave..." And he charged his audience not to make such a subject of sermon on the pupilt. The import of Oyedepo's message is clear: that Abioye left the Winners Chapel to start his own church. This is not the case. Or better still, it is what my jocose former managing editor, Onome Osifo-Whisky would describe as _inexactitude_ . In truth, Abioye was forced out of the Winners Chapel by Oyedepo's contraption of compulsory retirement of pastors at the age of 55. The revised Mandate of the ministry changed the retirement age from 60 to 55. While the Founder, Oyedepo, retains the right to serve for life, future church leaders will be restricted to one or two terms of seven years, pending approval by the Board of Trustees. Bishop Abioye must have been privy to the contents of Winners Chapel's bylaws that eventually consumed him. But having started the ministry with Oyedepo in 1983 and had declared publicly that he was called by God to support Oyedepo's calling and not to start his own church, he must have thought that the law wouldn't apply to him, especially since his boss was exempted. He had probably hoped that he would take over the leadership of the church upon the retirement of his boss. But the boss seems smarter than his boy. Expectedly! In October 18, 2024, Abioye, who headed the Abuja wing of the ministry was retired alongside Thomas Aremu, who was in charge of the Ibadan church. While Abioye was 63 then , Aremu was 67. Bishop Oyedepo who enforced their retirement was above 70. In truth, the politics of retirement age is not peculiar to Winners Chapel alone. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) had earlier set the retirement age for its pastors at 70. The rule was made known by General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye at a ministers' conference in August 2022, though the man, Adeboye who set the rules is 84 and he is still in charge. Though Living Faith authorities gave explanations, cited the church's new laws and organised befitting valedictory services, online commentators accused Oyedepo of forcing out Abioye and Aremu to pave way for his son, David Oyedepo Junior as successor. The junior Oyedepo is the current resident pastor at the Ota headquarters of the Living Faith World Outreach. Next only to his father in fame, power and glory. Effectively, with his son in charge and 'the foreigners' retired, Oyedepo has secured his generational wealth. But what exactly did he expect Abioye to do after this sudden retirement? Set up a grocery shop or contruct an engineering workshop? For more than four decades, this engineering graduate turned pastor has been following Oyedepo, supporting his vision and committing himself to a full time ministerial role at the Living Faith where he rose to the position of vice president. Abioye had granted several interviews and maintained that he wasn't called to start a church but to support Oyedepo's calling. Now, I think he has received another calling. It is the second calling. This time, to start his own ministry and reach out to the body of Christ that is deeply enmeshed in the cesspool of insanity. This, to me, is the ultimate calling, miles away from the bread and butter gospel. Will Abioye make any difference? Time will tell. Weeks after the infamous retirement, he started Sunday evening fellowships at the conference hall of a hotel in Abuja. Later, he moved to the Abuja stadium before finally moving to the present location. According to him, the new ministry is founded on divine direction and dedicated to the spiritual development, edification, and triumph of the saints globally.
Unequivocally, he submitted that the decision to start the new church was not influenced by public pressure or personal ambition, but was the result of God’s internal call, as “ordained by the foundation of the word”, and only now coming into full manifestation. There's a huge lesson in the Abioye story. You can be fiercely loyal to a system and still be left stranded by the same system. Abioye is a victim of the vanity of man and a disturbing reality of selfish, acquisitive tendencies of Nigeria's pastors who preach heavens to their congregations but prepare wealth for their own children on earth. Abioye is lucky. Not many people could have recovered from the shock, let alone floating a new church. Not to even talk about the level of acceptance that has greeted the birth of this great commission. Mentally sound and monumentally resourceful, Abioye is equally a prolific writer and public speaker in a class of his own. From Kaduna to Abuja, where he nurtured Winners' Chapels and branches, he had endeared himself to generations of Winners. Besides, apart from his eloquence, diligence and proficiency in the dissection of the scriptures, Abioye's humility is a unique master key that opens doors for him. His second calling to edify the saints globally is pivotal. Indeed, the mission statement reads like a reawakening to all Christians long lost to inordinate pursuits of materialism. If this is not just another marketing strategy to draw people, Abioye has a true purpose rooted in present times. For this charismatic preacher, it is now a case of a bishop retired is a bishop refired. No wonder it didn't take him a long time to bounce back into reckoning. You can't write off a man who still has a lot to offer. His experience is a message to all.