Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, Founder and Leader of Power Chapel Worldwide, has openly defended his close relationship with former Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Hajia Samira Bawumia, describing the couple as his close friends.

Addressing his congregation from the pulpit, Rev. Kusi Boateng said he would not hide his relationship with the former Vice President and his wife despite concerns that it could attract criticism and persecution.

“I want to say on my own pulpit, that I don't care whoever thinks about it, Dr Bawumia is my friend and will continue to be my friend,” he said.

Hajia Samira Bawumia, who was captured in the congregation, smiled and applauded along with the church.

Rev. Kusi Boateng said he would not apologise for his relationship with the former Vice President and his wife.

“I will not hide it, I'm not a hypocrite, and if for this reason, anybody wants to imprison me, go ahead,” he asserted. 

Dismissing the threat of jail time, Rev. Kusi Boateng referenced his past experience with incarceration to emphasise that he remains unbothered by the prospect of returning.

“Prison is not for animals. It is for human beings. I have been there. I didn’t die. I came back,” he said, without further details.

“It is not a crime to be a friend and I want to say Dr Bawumia, and Hajia Samira Bawumia are my bosom friends, my sisters and brothers, with no apology,” he emphasised.

Even though he did not reveal why he would be persecuted for friendship with Dr Bawumia, his comments follow renewed scrutiny surrounding the controversial National Cathedral project, where he previously served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees.

Rev. Kusi Boateng became a primary figure in the national saga after North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in 2023. The petition alleged conflict of interest, financial impropriety, and the use of multiple identities.

CHRAJ subsequently cleared Rev. Kusi Boateng of the specific allegation that he held two passports under different names, confirming he possessed a single passport issued under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

However, the commission recommended further investigation and potential prosecution of the National Cathedral's Board of Trustees regarding procurement irregularities in awarding the construction contract to Ribade Company.

The project has since been subject to extensive oversight, including probes by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, a Deloitte audit, and a forensic audit commissioned under the current NDC administration.

In May 2025, President John Dramani Mahama officially dissolved the project's Secretariat, while legal steps were initiated to unwind the Board of Trustees.