The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has strongly criticised comments made by the founder of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, in which he claimed that Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, the church’s revered founder, “had grace but died poor” and went as far as mocking the whereabouts of his children.

The controversy began after a video of Fatoyinbo’s sermon circulated online, in which he described Babalola as “highly anointed” but without wealth, narrating anecdotes about the late evangelist’s spiritual feats before questioning what became of his offspring.

The remarks sparked widespread outrage among members of the CAC and other Christian groups, prompting the denomination’s leadership to issue a detailed rebuttal on Wednesday.

In a statement signed by Pastor Ade Alawode, CAC’s Director of Publicity, the church said it ordinarily refrains from engaging in social media controversies but found it necessary to respond “to correct misleading narratives” and defend the legacy of Babalola.

“To equate anointing or ministerial success with material wealth is biblically flawed,” the statement read, quoting Luke 12:15: ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’

The CAC accused Fatoyinbo of promoting a prosperity-driven interpretation of ministry that “demeans people for not being wealthy” and risks encouraging greed in a society already struggling with moral decay.

The church also dismissed the suggestion that Babalola’s family had vanished into obscurity, revealing that two of his children Mama Eunice Wuraola Ogini and Apeke Adeniyi are alive, “blessed, fulfilled, and quietly serving the Lord” without ostentation.

Born in 1904, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola is remembered as a pioneering evangelist whose ministry in Nigeria and the Gold Coast (now Ghana) was marked by reports of miraculous healings, mass conversions, and church planting. He founded the CAC in 1941 after a split from the Faith Tabernacle movement.

The statement detailed his life of service, recounting how he donated land to the church, sponsored the education of many, housed strangers, and fed the poor. While he was not known for amassing wealth, the CAC insisted he “lived in a befitting home, drove one of the best Ford Jeeps of his time, and never lacked divine provision.”

The church also pointed out that Babalola was among the guests honoured by colonial authorities during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Nigeria in 1956 — a sign, it argued, that he was not destitute.

Referencing Acts 3:6, where the Apostle Peter says, “Silver and gold I do not have…”, the CAC posed a rhetorical question to Fatoyinbo: “Was Peter still anointed or not?”

The statement closed with a call for humility and an appeal to Fatoyinbo to issue a public apology to “millions of sons and daughters of Apostle Babalola around the world,” reiterating that “the measure of a believer’s anointing is not in material accumulation but in sacrificial service.”

Babalola died in 1959 at the age of 55. More than six decades later, his name remains a central part of Nigerian Pentecostal history, and his legacy continues to draw pilgrims to the prayer grounds associated with his ministry.

Fatoyinbo, one of Nigeria’s most prominent prosperity preachers, has yet to respond to the CAC’s statement at the time of filing this report.