News

• Israel Ford, founder of LifeWorks Church in Cleveland, Ohio, announced his polygynous marriage to congregant Shakayla Talley during a Sunday service on October 25
• His co-pastor wife Lydia, personally introduced Shakayla to the congregation, with some members cheering while others looked on in stunned disbelief
• Ford later took to Instagram to defend the union, citing scripture and declaring that one wife per man was ‘unbiblical’

A Cleveland, Ohio pastor left his congregation divided after using a Sunday church service to reveal he had taken a second wife, with his first wife standing beside him to make the announcement.

Israel Ford, founder of LifeWorks Church in Cleveland, Ohio, announced his polygynous marriage in church. Photo: Israel Ford. Source: Instagram

Israel Ford, the self-styled prophet and founder of LifeWorks Church, which he established in 2009 alongside his co-pastor wife Lydia, made the revelation during the October 25 service.

The woman at the centre of the announcement was Shakayla Talley, a fellow congregant and friend of the couple, who has since taken the surname Ford.

Lydia Ford announces hubby’s second wife at church

Rather than leaving the moment to her husband, it was Lydia who stepped forward to address the congregation directly.

She told members that she and her husband had entered what she described as a polygynous marriage, and that the new wife was no stranger to the church.

“My husband, our prophet, he has a second wife. Y’all know her. Y’all love her. Y’all benefit from her ministry every week. And so I just want to take this time and just as a pleasure of mine to introduce to y’all, prophet’s wife and my sister in marriage, Minister Shakayla,” Lydia said.

Shakayla walked before the congregation, embraced Israel and Lydia, then addressed the church herself.

“It is amazing to know that this is the will of God and there are people who have known this for some time, and I want to thank you for walking with us, and I know it keeps getting better,” she said.

The reaction in the room was mixed, with some congregants applauding and others appearing visibly shocked.

Pastor Israel Ford cites scripture to defend polygamous union

Following the service, Ford took to Instagram to share footage of the moment and defend his position publicly. He introduced Shakayla to the wider world in his post, writing.

“I would like to introduce to the world, my second wife, Shakayla Ford!”

He went further by challenging the widely held Christian teaching on monogamy. “As a nation we have been taught that a man should have one wife only. This is unbiblical,” he wrote, urging followers to watch his full sermon on the matter.

Ford referenced Exodus 21:10 in his post as scriptural grounding for his stance, and acknowledged that his revelation would not sit well with everyone.

“I understand that this is an unpopular truth that we have gotten away from and many Pastors will not preach. I have no plans to choose pleasing man over what God has revealed,” he added.

He also accepted that the announcement could drive some supporters away, noting, “People may not accept this and choose to disconnect, and that is ok!”

Polygamy remains a contested topic within Christianity, with the majority of denominations holding that marriage is a covenant between two people.

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, has criticised the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over its newly unveiled National Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections, questioning the party’s grassroots preparedness and claiming that its own mobilisation structure is better established.

The movement’s Director-General, John Ughulu, said the announcement of the council came too late in the preparations for the elections, arguing that political campaigns require sustained grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination and strategic planning rather than the appointment of prominent political figures.

Ughulu’s criticism followed the NDC’s announcement on Sunday of its National Campaign Council, with the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, named chairman, while its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was appointed co-chairman.

The NDC’s National Chairman, Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, was named vice-chairman, while the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was appointed co-vice-chairman.

Reacting to the composition of the council on Monday, Ughulu questioned the party’s preparations and suggested that some of those appointed might eventually depend on the movement’s grassroots network to mobilise supporters.

“The funny part of this list is that 90 per cent of the people on it will still come knocking on the doors of the OK Movement to beg for the very structure they have failed to build themselves!” he said.

He added: “With less than three months to the general elections, they are only just announcing their Presidential Campaign Council. What exactly have they been doing all this time? Where is the structure? Where is the strategy? Where is the machinery required to prosecute a serious national election?”

The general elections are scheduled for February and March 2027, leaving the party with several months to consolidate its campaign structures, coordinate its candidates and mobilise voters.

Dickson, Obi, Kwankwaso named in council

The NDC’s newly announced campaign council includes several prominent political figures, reflecting the party’s effort to establish a national structure for its campaign.

Dickson, a former Bayelsa State governor and the party’s National Leader, will chair the council, while Obi will serve as co-chairman. Kwankwaso, the party’s vice-presidential candidate, is listed as co-vice-chairman.

Other notable members include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who was named chairman of the National Campaign Advisory Council; former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; former presidential candidate Pat Utomi; former senator Victor Umeh; and political figure Buba Galadima.

The NDC National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, was appointed council secretary, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim will serve as Director-General of the presidential campaign.

The council also includes a 40-member National Campaign Advisory Council and 37 state campaign coordinators. The party named its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, as Director of Communication and Media, while retired Major General John Enenche, a former defence spokesperson, was appointed Director of Security and Intelligence.

The NDC said the campaign council would provide strategic leadership, coordinate campaign activities nationwide and drive mobilisation behind its political programme.

However, Ughulu’s criticism centred on what he described as the difference between appointing officials and building an effective grassroots structure capable of reaching voters across states, local government areas and polling units.

“Elections are not won by titles, press releases, political noise, or the number of big names on a campaign council. Elections are won through grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination, strategic planning, committed people, and a well-established structure that reaches every polling unit,” he said.

Dispute over control of campaign structures

The latest exchange is part of a disagreement between the NDC leadership and the OK Movement over the authority to establish campaign structures for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.

The controversy began in September when the movement unveiled its own 59-member presidential campaign council, naming Ughulu as director-general and its National Secretary, Saadatu Sani, as secretary.

The proposed structure included zonal and state coordinators as well as directors responsible for grassroots mobilisation, women’s affairs, strategy, security, legal affairs, information technology and other areas.

The NDC subsequently dissociated itself from the list, insisting that it had not emanated from the party and should be disregarded.

The party’s National Chairman, Zuwoghe, maintained that only the appropriate party leadership could constitute and announce its official presidential campaign council. He also warned against the establishment of parallel structures capable of undermining the party’s authority.

Dickson later criticised the movement’s decision to establish a separate campaign council, arguing that support organisations should strengthen the party’s campaign rather than compete with its formal structures.

“Support groups don’t compete with the political party that is sponsoring candidates. Support groups don’t compete for supremacy and space,” Dickson said in September.

He maintained that such organisations should concentrate on grassroots mobilisation and support for the party’s candidates.

Obi had rejected movement’s earlier council

The dispute also drew a direct response from Obi, who publicly distanced himself from the OK Movement’s earlier campaign council.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in September, the former Anambra State governor said the NDC was the political party to which he and Kwankwaso belonged, while the OK Movement, Obidient groups, Kwankwasiyya and other platforms were support organisations.

Asked whether the movement’s 59-member campaign council had been constituted with his knowledge or approval, Obi replied that it had not.

He said the movement should support the party rather than assume the responsibilities of the NDC.

The intervention strengthened the party leadership’s position that its official campaign machinery must be distinct from structures established by organisations supporting its candidates.

The OK Movement, however, has maintained that its organisational identity and internal structures should not be confused with the formal machinery of the political party.

In its earlier response to the NDC’s rejection of its council, the movement argued that it was an independent political organisation with its own leadership, organisational processes and long-term objectives.

Sani also said the movement would continue to campaign for Obi and Kwankwaso, as well as other NDC candidates it had resolved to support, while insisting that its activities should not be subject to the personal approval of individual party officials.

The movement has previously claimed that its internal database contains approximately 2.5 million registered members and coordinators. That figure is the movement’s own claim and has not been independently verified.

Grassroots strength at centre of disagreement

In his latest reaction, Ughulu argued that the movement had invested in grassroots organisation before the formal election campaign period and was therefore better prepared to mobilise voters.

He said the movement had not waited until the elections approached before recognising the importance of building a political structure capable of operating across communities.

“We did not wait for the election to approach before recognising the importance of grassroots organisation. We understood from the beginning that a presidential ambition without a functional grassroots structure is nothing more than a political wish!” he said.

Ughulu also questioned whether the party’s newly appointed officials would recognise the movement’s organisational capacity after criticising its earlier attempt to establish a separate campaign council.

“But the question is: Will they respect the structure they are now coming to depend on?” he asked.

The exchange highlights the challenge facing the NDC as it attempts to coordinate its formal campaign machinery with the various political movements and support organisations associated with Obi and Kwankwaso.

While the party has emphasised the need for a clear chain of command, the OK Movement insists that its grassroots structures should retain their independence even as they support the NDC ticket.

The latest criticism does not, by itself, establish that the NDC lacks grassroots structures or that the movement’s network is more effective. Rather, it exposes competing claims about preparedness, organisational capacity and the appropriate relationship between a political party and independent groups campaigning for its candidates.

The NDC is expected to inaugurate its National Campaign Council and commission its newly acquired national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, alongside other activities connected with the party’s national executive meeting.

As preparations for the 2027 elections continue, the central question remains whether the party and the OK Movement can coordinate their respective structures without creating competing centres of authority.

For the NDC, the task is to translate its newly announced council into an operational campaign capable of reaching voters nationwide. For the OK Movement, the challenge is to demonstrate the value of its claimed grassroots network while maintaining its stated commitment to Obi and Kwankwaso.

The outcome of the disagreement could shape how the party and its allied organisations coordinate mobilisation, communication and campaign activities in the months ahead.

SOURCE BLUEPRINT.NG