An elder from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David Parish, Quincy Ayodele, has denied accusations that the former Pastor-in-charge of the parish, Idowu Iluyomade, rebelled against the church before establishing his own ministry.
According to The PUNCH, in an interview with Daddy Freeze, shared on his YouTube channel on Monday, Ayodele, who is also a natural medicine practitioner, expressed her surprise and disappointment regarding the situation.
She had expected that after Iluyomade’s three-month suspension by the church leadership, he would either be restored to his parish or reassigned to another one.
“We were expecting that after the three months, he would be restored to City of David, but to our surprise, we heard that he was given a letter prohibiting him from stepping into the church premises,” Ayodele explained.
She further reflected on the close relationship between Pastor Adeboye and Iluyomade, emphasizing that they were like father and son.
“Pastor Adeboye and Pastor Iluyomade were so close. There was nothing Pastor Adeboye wanted that Pastor Iluyomade would not go out of his way to make available,” she said.
Ayodele firmly stated that Iluyomade did not rebel against the church and questioned the rationale behind the church’s actions, adding, “He was told not to enter City of David. Why they did that is only known to our daddy, the governing council, and God. I cannot answer why. But we are curious.”
When it became clear that Iluyomade was barred from entering the church, some elders from the parish intervened. They wrote letters of appeal to Pastor Adeboye, urging him to reconsider his decision regarding Iluyomade, but there was no response.
“They wrote letters, signed their names, and sent them to Pastor Adeboye, but there was no reply from him,” Ayodele said.
As a result, Iluyomade and his family began attending Kings Court, another RCCG parish he had pioneered years earlier. However, the welcome they initially received there was short-lived.
“The pastor there welcomed them, honoring them as the founding pastors, but later they were told they should not be accommodated,” Ayodele shared.
Ayodele, who has been with RCCG for over three decades, expressed concern about the church’s stance.
Quoting Pastor Adeboye’s teachings, she said, “Pastor Adeboye taught us that if one sheep is lost out of 100, Jesus would go after the lost sheep. I was now asking, will he allow Iluyomade to be lost to the world?”
She also denied claims that the late Herbert Wigwe, former CEO of Access Bank, was the highest donor to the Trinity Towers project at City of David.
“Many people contributed to the building of the tower, and some gave as much as Wigwe did,” Ayodele clarified, citing Iluyomade’s efforts to rally support for various church projects.
Ayodele described Iluyomade as a man who made significant contributions to both the RCCG and to society, recalling the free schools he established, his weekly feeding programs for the needy, and his social impact through church-funded initiatives.
“He did a lot for the RCCG and Pastor Adeboye. So, I wonder what could have led to this action against him,” she said.
Despite appeals from several prominent Nigerians to Pastor Adeboye, Ayodele claimed no change in stance.
“They went to beg him, and he said Iluyomade was paying a loan. But he’s been paying loans without asking for money from you. So, why don’t you leave him to finish paying the loan? He said he would let him come back. But he did not,” Ayodele revealed.
When asked about whether the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria intervened, Ayodele responded, “Who will talk to him if God has not talked to him? My daddy hears from God. It is what God says that he tells us, and we believe him.”
She also dismissed the notion that Iluyomade had any intention of starting his own church, explaining that he was originally an Anglican and had been out of the Anglican Church for almost 32 years.
“He does not even know how to start a church. If he goes back to Anglican, where would he start from?” she asked.
Ayodele expressed her frustration with the lack of support from those Iluyomade had helped during his ministry.
“I can tell you that the people they helped abandoned them in their moment of trials. They were not even praying for him in the City of David,” she said, recounting how Iluyomade had confided in her while he was distressed over his ban from the church.
She also shared her emotional reaction to Pastor Adeboye’s comments during a visit to City of David, where he allegedly referred to those who left the church as “demons” and implied that devils had built the Trinity Towers. Ayodele said, “I started wondering, is this my daddy talking? What is going on?”
Although she did not follow Iluyomade when he started his new church, Ayodele expressed her belief that the situation could still be resolved and that she had been mediating for a resolution. If given the opportunity, she said she would plead with Pastor Adeboye for Iluyomade’s return, saying, “If I had the grace of meeting Pastor Adeboye, I would fall at his feet and beg him to forgive Iluyomade.”
