‘I found another marriage certificate under his bed’: Ex-Wife knocks Pastor Okafor after apology to Ogala

Bessem, the former wife of Grace Nation Ministry founder, Pastor Chris Okafor, has accused the cleric of deception in his first marriage.

Bessem also condemned Okafor’s public apology to Nollywood actress Doris Ogala, saying it lacked sincerity.

The cleric had on Sunday, December 28, 2025, addressed his congregation, kneeling as he apologised to Ogala.

He attributed his actions to emotional trauma from a troubled first marriage, which he said he entered at a young age and under family pressure.

While admitting to mistakes and asking for forgiveness and prayers, Okafor maintained that some of Ogala’s allegations were inaccurate.

However, hours after the apology, a video message from Bessem went viral on social media.

In the video, Bessem disclosed that she married Pastor Okafor at the age of 18 in a traditional ceremony and that the union produced four children.

She said she left the marriage 14 years ago, citing what she described as repeated infidelity and domestic abuse.

‘There’s a problem’: Doris Ogala reacts to Pastor Okafor’s apology

She also alleged that shortly after their wedding, she discovered a marriage certificate under Okafor’s bed indicating he had been previously married, a claim she said the cleric denied when confronted.

Bessem said she remained silent for years to protect her children and allow them to grow up away from controversy.

Bessem said: “I was married to Chris Okafor when I was 18 years old. The marriage produced four beautiful children —  three daughters and a boy.

“This man took me in my prime, in my youth, as a wife. We wedded traditionally.

“People who conducted the wedding are still alive. They are so embarrassed by the things he said with his mouth.

“I left this man because I could not match or operate in his own ways. What I could not take was seeing him standing on the altar to lie. I did not meet him on wealth.

“After the wedding, I discovered a marriage certificate under his bed that he was once married. I cried and said ‘is this what I have bargained to get into?’ I asked him, and he denied.

“You will go to jail for getting married to me and lying to me that you were never married.”

She added that Okafor’s recent public apology did not reflect the truth of her experience, stressing that she saw “no integrity” in the pastor’s repentance.

The Star