Bishops David Abioye and Thomas Aremu, the two Vice Presidents of Bishop David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), are set to retire after serving for over four and three decades, respectively. Multiple church sources, including a pastor who requested anonymity due to the lack of authorization to speak publicly, confirmed the planned retirements to PARALLEL NEWS TV.
The decision aligns with the church’s revised operational manual, The Mandate, which recently lowered the retirement age from 60 to 55. According to a church member at the headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, the bishops’ retirement is expected to coincide with Bishop Oyedepo’s birthday celebration. The member noted, “We’ve heard that Bishop Abioye and Bishop Aremu will step down, as the new church law dictates. Only Bishop Oyedepo can remain in his position for life, and one of the bishops has been considering retirement for some time, so this isn’t surprising to some of us.”
Attempts to reach the church’s media team for confirmation were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages. Currently, Bishop Abioye is 63, and Bishop Aremu is 67.
The revised church rules allow only the founder, Bishop Oyedepo, to serve beyond the new age limit, while future leaders can serve one or two seven-year terms, pending the Board of Trustees’ approval. According to Church Times, farewell services for the two bishops will be held at their respective churches. Bishop Abioye’s service is scheduled for October 18, 2024, in Abuja, and Bishop Aremu’s on October 15, 2024, in Ibadan. Both have had long and distinguished careers within the church, with Abioye meeting Oyedepo in 1979 and Aremu transitioning from an accounting career to ministry in 1999.
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