Bishop David Oyedepo’s right hand man, Abioye, one other steps down

David Abioye, a right hand man of Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) and Thomas Aremu, also a vice president of the church will retire from service this month after serving for over four and three decades.

According to Church Times, valedictory services will be held for the two Bishops at Ibadan, and Abuja respectively.

Aremu’s valedictory service will be held at the Living Faith Church, Basorun, Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, while Abioye’s farewell service will take place in Durumi, Abuja on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Multiple sources in the church, including a pastor in the church, who requested anonymity said, the retirement aligned with Winners Chapel’s operational manual, The Mandate, which recently revised the retirement age from 60 to 55.

 A member who attends the headquarters church in Ota, Ogun State, said, “We have heard that Bishop Abioye and the other Bishop Aremu in Ibadan will leave during the Bishop Oyedepo birthday celebration. That is the new law in the church; only Bishop Oyedepo can remain in his position for life. One of the two bishops has even been considering leaving for a while, so this is not news to some of us in the church.”

Bishop Abioye is currently 63, while Bishop Aremu is 67.

Only Bishop Oyedepo is allowed to serve beyond this new age limit, with future leaders permitted to serve one or two terms of seven years each, subject to the Board of Trustees’ approval.

In 1979, David Abioye met Oyedepo and ever since have grown to become a an integral part of the ministry.

Abioye, consecration in 1993 at the Garden of Faith, Barnawa, Kaduna, was among the pastors who pioneeried the ministry, took charge of one of the first five branches established in 1987. 

Aremu, on the other hand, transitioned from a career in accounting to full-time Christian ministry. He has also played an important role in the church’s development.

Among the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999 at the Garden of Faith, Aremu is the only one who remains in service.

This occasion is the first time that Living Faith Church will publicly celebrate the retirement of its pastors.