The Primate of the Church of Nigeria has ordered the Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka, Alexander Ibezim, to proceed on six months’ leave amid land sale allegations. Archbishop Ibezim responded by filing a lawsuit in the Anambra State High Court, while the Awka Diocesan Board rejected the directive entirely.
The leadership crisis within the Anglican Communion escalated as the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, directed Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim to proceed on six months’ leave with immediate effect. Dated October 13, 2026, the directive followed reports submitted by administrative panels, including a visitation team led by the Dean of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Blessing Enyindah, which reviewed developments within the diocese.
Primate Ndukuba acted under Section 29(1) of Chapter 5 of the 2020 Constitution and Canons of the Church of Nigeria, which grants the primate general supervisory authority to facilitate an impartial inquiry and restore peace. The church leadership appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Aguata, Rt. Rev. Samuel Ezeofor, as the supervising bishop of the Diocese of Awka and coordinating bishop of the province during the archbishop’s absence.
Archbishop Ibezim Challenges Primate in Anambra State High Court
Archbishop Ibezim answered the directive by launching a legal challenge at the High Court of Anambra State, Awka Judicial Division, naming both Primate Ndukuba and Dean Enyindah as defendants in Suit No. A/371/2026. The originating summons challenges the legality of the visitation team, which the archbishop described as illegally constituted by the primate in a letter dated June 17, 2026.
Archbishop Ibezim fights back, as Awka Diocese rejects suspension by Primatehttps://t.co/fqJYBxBScB
The legal filing asks the court to interpret provisions governing church discipline, specifically citing Sections 55, 75, and 76 of the 2020 constitution and Canon XVI, sections 22 through 28. Ibezim is seeking declarations that prescribed procedures must be strictly observed and that at least one of ten specific offences under Canon XVI must be established before any disciplinary sanction can be lawfully imposed against a serving bishop.
An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants… from writing, signing, and issuing/serving/delivering any letter of suspension, or removal, retirement or dismissal from his office as Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka… pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim, via Sahara Reporters
Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu questioned the funding behind the archbishop’s court battle, noting that Ibezim had engaged expensive Senior Advocates of Nigeria to procure restraining orders against church authorities and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Diocesan Board Threatens Withdrawal Over Compulsory Leave
The Awka Diocesan Board rejected the primate’s directive during an emergency meeting at the Chapel of Divine Favour in Ifite Awka. In a strongly worded communiqué issued on October 16, 2026, the board argued that the 2020 constitution contains no provisions empowering the primate to force a fellow bishop onto compulsory leave or ban him from officiating.
The board also maintained that the administrative measure violated constitutional protections, including the presumption of innocence and freedom of religion under the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. Warning that church leadership was interfering with matters actively before the state high court, the board issued an ultimatum regarding its future affiliation.
The Board emphatically states that if the Primate and Bishop Ezeofor continue threatening the peace of Awka Diocese and its Archbishop and bishop, and unlawfully interfere with its affairs, it shall withdraw from the Church of Nigeria and continue with the Church of England, which never disturbed the Diocese.
Diocesan Board of the Diocese of Awka, via Punchng
Land Sale Allegations and Prior EFCC Petitions
The ecclesiastical dispute stems from earlier financial allegations involving the disposal of church properties. While the primate’s letter did not detail specific charges, reporting indicates that the core controversy involves unauthorized sales of diocesan land valued at over ₦2 billion.
Those allegations first drew public scrutiny when a petition was submitted to the EFCC in July 2025 by a member of St. Faith Cathedral in Awka, Echezona Onuigbo. When speculations mounted in 2025 that anti-graft operatives planned to arrest the archbishop, Ibezim secured a restraining order from the Anambra State High Court through Justice F.I. Aniukwu following a motion ex parte dated September 4, 2025, filed by counsel B.E.I. Nwofor, SAN.