According to John Tvedtnes, when Noah replaced his father Zeniff as king of the Nephites living in the land of Nephi, "he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts" (Mosiah 11:5).
We are also told that when Abinadi came among the people he "spake with power and authority from God" (Mosiah 13:6). One might ask, Amid the political and religious corruption in the land of Nephi, how did he receive this divine authority? It is possible that Abinadi was one of the deposed priests who had served under the righteous king Zeniff. [John A. Tvedtnes, "Unanswered Questions in the Book of Mormon," in The Most Correct Book, pp. 323-324]