By Akakan Umoh
Chris Okafor, the founder of Grace Nation Bible Ministry, has publicly knelt before congregation and apologised to actress Doris Ogala amid her claim that they were once in a romantic relationship.
The controversy began when a video of Okafor’s engagement to another woman circulated online, prompting Ogala to allege that she had been in a relationship with him since 2017.
She claimed she left her previous marriage at his insistence and accused him of betrayal after years of intimacy and repeated assurances of marriage, which she said affected her emotional and mental well-being.
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Ogala later issued an ultimatum, demanding that Okafor either marry her or compensate her financially, escalating to a demand of N1 billion in damages over breach of promise.
The situation intensified when she was arrested following a now-deleted post featuring a man, widely believed to be Okafor, in a private bedroom setting.
Breaking his silence, Okafor described Ogala’s backlash as “the devil’s anger” over the limited glimpse he and his new wife, Pearl, had shared with the public.
In a now-viral video during a Sunday service, the clergyman acknowledged the claim. He explained that a painful experience of infidelity in his first marriage, which occurred at a “young age under family pressure,” contributed to the actions in question.
He added that the incident had a lasting emotional effect, shaping some of the choices and mistakes he later made.
Okafor appealed for understanding and prayers, taking responsibility for his past actions and expressing sincere regret.
“Many things have been said, and it all began from somewhere. I got married quite early, around the age of 23, not because I understood what marriage was, but because of pressure,” he said.
“I lost three of my elder brothers, and as the sixth child, I became the first son after their deaths. My parents became fearful that I might also die secretly, even though they were believers.
“At that early age, I was pressured to get married, and it became the first mistake I made due to family pressure. I did not know better at the time.
“The marriage was built on a wrong foundation. Although I was anointed, I had no mentor at the beginning to advise me, so I fell into mistakes.
“During the marriage, something happened that affected me for a long time, and it is only recently that I have been able to overcome it.
“I kept it to myself for years because I did not know how to say it in the church. I caught my wife with another man, and that incident broke me at such a young age. I battled with unforgiveness, felt less of a man, and it eventually led to many of the mistakes you are seeing and hearing about today.
“Please do not judge me. Pray for me. I am not proud of it, and I apologise.”
Okafor further insisted that not all of Ogala’s claims were accurate, describing some as “lies.”
He then knelt before his congregation, apologising both to the public and to Ogala personally.
“Mistakes were made in the past, and I apologise to everyone. However, not everything that was said is true. There are many lies in what was said, but regardless, I am sorry,” he added.
“To Doris Ogala, I apologise. I am not perfect and never have been, but I am beginning anew. I kneel before everyone.”
Reacting via an Instagram post, Ogala said she forgives Okafor but insisted that she was truthful with her account.
“Chris Okafor, I forgive you but there’s a problem. Where you said everything is a lie, I have a problem with that because I don’t lie,” she wrote.
Doris Rejects $10,000
Meanwhile, Doris says she does not want a $10,000 settlement allegedly offered by t amid their ongoing public controversy.
The actress made this known in a video recorded on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, and shared on her Instagram page on Saturday morning.
In the video, Ogala claimed the clergyman brought the money as part of a settlement and also pleaded with her to publicly debunk allegations she had earlier made against him.
According to Ogala, the $10,000 was given to her in two installments of $5,000 each, following what she described as prolonged “table talks” between both parties.
She further alleged that Pastor Chris urged her to falsely claim that some pastors sponsored her to speak against him.
“Chris, you’ve seen me finish honestly. This is $10,000. He gave me this $5,000 last night after we talked and he was pleading. Then he gave me another $5,000 this afternoon,” she said.
The actress accused the clergyman of attempting to persuade her to shift blame to unnamed pastors and retract all her previous statements.
“You can imagine this man wanted me to come out and say that some pastors sent me to fight him. I should put it on pastors’ heads and then debunk everything I’ve said. After all that I have said? Come on,” she added.
Ogala insisted that accepting the money would not change her stance, stressing that she deliberately collected it only to show the public that the offer was made.
“This money will never be a transaction of anything in my life or any part of my body. I collected it deliberately to tell you that everything I have said is the truth. I will never lie. Ten thousand dollars is nothing to me,” she stated.
She also denied blackmailing the pastor, adding that she would not falsely accuse any other clergy to protect him.
