EruditeBlog

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, called on its clergy, members and the wider public to remain calm and allow ongoing ecclesiastical and judicial processes to take their course. The appeal follows recent public statements and court actions linked to decisions by the Primate of All Nigeria. In a press statement, Ven. Raphael Adedoyin Aderinwale, Director of Communication of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, said the actions now before the courts were not taken lightly. They followed an extended period of enquiry into questions of ecclesiastical authority, accountability and compliance with established Church procedures. Efforts had also been made to resolve the disagreements through conciliatory engagement. Citing 1 Corinthians 14:40, which calls for all things to be done decently and in order, Ven. Aderinwale emphasised that peace must go hand in hand with accountability, mutual respect and canonical order. “Reconciliation remains an ess...

The Diocesan Board of the Anglican Diocese of Awka has threatened to sever ties with the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion and align instead with the Church of England if the Primate and Bishop Samuel C. Ezeofor persist in actions the Board regards as threats to the diocese’s peace and unlawful interference in its affairs. The warning came in a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting of the Board on Friday, 16 October 2026, at the Chapel of Divine Favour, Archbishop’s Palace, Ifite Awka. The Board emphatically rejected a letter dated 13 October 2026 from the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Revd Henry C. Ndukuba, which directed Archbishop Alexander C. Ibezim, PhD, to proceed on six months’ compulsory leave. It also rejected the Primate’s appointment of the Rt Revd Samuel C. Ezeofor as Supervising Bishop of Awka Diocese and Coordinating Bishop of the Province of the Niger. The Board declared that it “emphatically rejects in its entirety the said letter,” describing...

The Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka, Most Rev. Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim, has dragged the Primate of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, and the Dean of the Church, Most Rev. Blessing Enyindah, to the High Court of Anambra State via a suit, marked A/371/2026 and filed on October 13, 2026, at the Awka Judicial Division through lead counsel BEI Nwofor (SAN) and others, amid a directive from the Primate placing Ibezim on six months’ compulsory leave with immediate effect. In his originating summons and supporting affidavit, Ibezim argues that the Church of Nigeria has a clear due process for disciplining a serving bishop or archbishop. He cites Sections 55, 75(1)–(5), and 76(1)–(5) of the Constitution and Canons, together with Sections 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 of Canon XVI. Under these provisions, a bishop against whom charges are brought is to be tried before a court consisting of the Primate and other bisho...