Founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, Pastor Chris Okafor, has announced that he will step aside from the altar for the month of January to rest and go on spiritual retreat.

The cleric announced the decision during a church service in a video clip that went viral on Friday.

This development comes amid renewed allegations involving his ex-wife, Bessem, and Nollywood actress Doris Ogala.

In 2025, Ogala accused the cleric of breaking promises of marriage, causing her emotional distress and making other allegations against him.

His former wife, Bessem, had also accused him of physically assaulting her, while denying claims of adultery reportedly levelled against her by Okafor.

While addressing members of his church, the Lagos-based pastor said four assistant pastors would minister throughout January while he takes time to rest with his wife.

He said, “We have four Sundays in January, so in the whole of these four Sundays, we will be having Pastor Sylvester, Pastor Kelvin, Pastor Oliver and Pastor Shedrack. It’s going to be prophetic Sundays; we will have them minister to you, and anoint you every Sunday, that’s the instruction. So they will be here, while they are here, I will be resting.

“It will be time for personal retreat with God, and time for me and my wife to rest. Because, since our wedding, we have not rested. We haven’t had time; we haven’t even taken our honeymoon. So, we are stepping aside to pray, we’re stepping aside to have a retreat and to rest for this January and return better and stronger.”

However, the decision did not sit well with Ogala, who reacted in a video posted on her Instagram page on Thursday.

The actress said stepping aside from church duties was not enough and called on the cleric to explain what she described as his role in the death of her younger brother.

She said, “Many people have said that he left me and married another person, that he detained me, that he sent my nude pictures, and that he apologised, so I should let it go. It does not work like that. Chris Okafor should come and explain to me what happened to my brother. Stepping down from the church is not enough.

“I heard that he stepped down from the altar for one month and handed over to his assistant pastor, but that is not enough for me. Chris Okafor, stepping down from the altar, is not enough. You have to explain to me what happened to my brother — the role you played and how my brother was poisoned. I have all the evidence, and I am going to play everything: voice recordings and all the plots.”

Ogala further warned that she would release what she described as evidence if Okafor failed to come forward.

“You have a long battle coming. No matter what, you had no right to go that far with me. I did nothing to you. People said I should forgive, but what am I leaving behind? If I leave everything, will the money he gives me bring my brother back?

“This is just the beginning. We have not started yet, Chris. Just hold on. I will be displaying everything. You will tell me what happened to my brother. What offence did he commit? Did he have anything to do with you? Why did you hurt me this much? Stepping down from the altar is not enough for me,” she added.

As of the time of filing this report, Okafor has yet to respond publicly to Ogala’s latest allegations.