The Embassy of the United States on thursday allegedly denied the founder of Faith Tabernacle living faith in Ota, Ogun State, Bishop David Oyedepo visa.
This day, disclosed that the embassy did not give any other reason except the standard default explanation that the Winners’ Chapel Bishop did not qualify for visa renewal in its assessment and urged him to try again.
Heaven was, however, let loose, when the obviously flustered preacher and businessman, created scene whilst querying the grounds for his refusal.
Insider said he told the embassy he had been traveling to the states as far back as 1980s and had not violated any rules or committed any crime to have warranted being denied a renewal of his visa.
According to the source, he immediately sent for his bodyguards to get his phones so he could make some calls, but the embassy allegedly told him he could not make calls within the precincts of the visa-issuing section of the embassy.
When THISDAY contacted the embassy for clarifications on why the popular Bishop was denied visa, a staff of the embassy in the media department, requested that an email be sent with the questions and promised to respond as soon as possible.
Curiously, the embassy, believed to be swift to responding to mails, neither acknowledged nor responded to the email sent since 5.05p.m. yesterday till the newspaper went to bed.
Embassy sources however hinted of the possibility that the popular preacher might have made some calls to individuals that would intervene on his behalf and the visa eventually issued.
In the mail sent by THISDAY, three questions were asked: “One, we understand that there was serious drama earlier today, when Bishop David Oyedepo was denied the US visa. However, because we could verify our facts from other applicants at the embassy today, our question, therefore, is on what grounds was Bishop Oyedepo, known across the globe, denied a visa?
“Our sources in-house had also hinted that given his connection, the CG might likely be contacted and his visa might be issued eventually through a referral. If that’s true, why deny him in the first place?
However, the US Embassy has reacted to Bishop Oyedepo Visa denial report in a tweet saying the news is fake
In its verified twitter handler.
It wrote:
#FalseNews Alert! Be advised, the reports making the rounds about a visa being denied to Nigerian Bishop Oyedepo are false.
If you have seen this manufactured item in the media, help defeat this #misinformation by communicating to everyone that it is completely false.
