General Overseer of Power Chapel Worldwide, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, has declared that he will not allow criticism of his friendship with former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to dictate who he associates with.

Speaking to his congregation in a video circulating on social media, the pastor said he remains close to Dr Bawumia and his wife, Samira Bawumia, and has no plans to conceal the relationship.

“If for this reason, anybody wants to imprison me, go ahead,” Rev. Kusi Boateng said.

He said imprisonment was not something he feared, pointing to his own experience of spending time in custody.

“Prison is not for animals. It is for human beings. I have been there. I didn’t die. I came back,” he added.

Rev. Kusi Boateng said his association with Dr Bawumia was not something for which he should be treated as a criminal.

“I don’t care whoever thinks about it. Dr Bawumia is my friend and will continue to be my friend. I will not hide. I am not a hypocrite,” he said.

He further described Dr Bawumia and Hajia Samira as close friends and family, making clear that he would continue to maintain the relationship despite the controversy surrounding it.

National Cathedral controversy
Rev. Kusi Boateng’s remarks come against the backdrop of a long-running controversy over his role in the National Cathedral project.

He served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees and became a prominent figure in the debate after North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in January 2023.

The petition raised questions about an alleged conflict of interest, multiple identities and a GH¢2.6 million payment from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, a company linked to Rev. Kusi Boateng.

CHRAJ’s investigation later cleared him of the specific allegation that he held two passports under different names. The commission found that he held a passport in the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi but found no evidence that he had been issued another passport under the name Kusi Boateng.

The GH¢2.6 million transaction, however, remained a major point of contention.

According to the explanation given by the National Cathedral Secretariat at the time, the money represented a short-term, interest-free advance used to help meet payments to contractors during a cash-flow crisis.

CHRAJ also found that JNS Talent Centre had not provided services in exchange for the payment and concluded that the amount represented reimbursement for funds Rev. Kusi Boateng had advanced to contractors.

But a subsequent Deloitte audit of the National Cathedral Secretariat raised fresh concerns about the transaction. The audit said it could not find a formal loan agreement setting out the terms of the GH¢2.6 million facility, despite the money later being repaid to JNS Talent Centre from project funds.

The broader National Cathedral project has since faced scrutiny over procurement, financial management and governance.

The government commissioned further examination of the project after the Deloitte audit, with a wider forensic audit intended to establish what happened to funds committed to the project and whether further action is required.

Court battle with Ablakwa
The National Cathedral controversy also led to a legal battle between Rev. Kusi Boateng and Mr Ablakwa.

Rev. Kusi Boateng sued the North Tongu MP over allegations connected to the project after Mr Ablakwa publicly raised concerns about his dealings with the National Cathedral and JNS Talent Centre.

The case eventually reached the Court of Appeal.

In March 2026, the appellate court dismissed Rev. Kusi Boateng’s appeal, holding that Mr Ablakwa’s claims were grounded in truth and public interest. The court also awarded GH¢40,000 in costs against the pastor.

The ruling has kept the National Cathedral dispute in the public spotlight, even as the separate forensic examination of the project continues.