The suspended Anglican Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka in Anambra State, Alexander Ibezim, has sued the Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Henry C. Ndukuba, over his suspension and plan to topic him to disciplinary proceedings.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ndukuba suspended the archbishop for six months over numerous allegations, together with the sale of church land for N2 billion.
The suspension, in line with the primate, was to permit for clear investigations into allegations in opposition to the archbishop and the diocese.
Mr Ndukuba additionally introduced the appointment of the Bishop of the Diocese of Aguata, Samuel Ezeofor,
because the supervising bishop of the church’s Diocese of Awka and coordinating bishop of the Province of the Niger.
The lawsuit
Mr Ibezim filed the swimsuit on the High Court of Anambra State, Awka Judicial Division on 13 October, in line with a court docket doc obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.
The suspended archbishop filed the swimsuit by his authorized workforce led by B.E.I. Nwofor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
A assessment of the court docket doc confirmed the swimsuit was filed on the identical day the primate suspended the archbishop.
Mr Ndukuba was listed as the primary defendant within the swimsuit, whereas the Dean of the Church of Nigeria, Blessing Enyindah, is the second defendant.
PREMIUM TIMES recollects Mr Enyindah chaired a visitation workforce to the Diocese of Awka through the probe of the archbishop’s actions.
In an originating summons, Mr Ibezim is looking for the interpretation of related provisions of the 2020 Constitution and Canons of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) governing disciplinary proceedings in opposition to serving diocesan bishops.
The suspended archbishop instructed the court docket that the visitation workforce was “illegally constituted” by the primate in a letter dated 17 June 2026.
The suspended archbishop requested the court docket to find out the process for disciplining a serving diocesan bishop and the extent to which the church’s governing legal guidelines have to be noticed earlier than any sanction may be imposed.
He prayed the court docket for a declaration that the process for disciplining a serving diocesan bishop is supplied for underneath sections 55 and 75 to 76 of the church’s 2020 Constitution, in addition to sections 22 to twenty-eight of Canon XVI.
Mr Ibezim needs the court docket to affirm that the prescribed process have to be strictly adopted earlier than any disciplinary measure, together with suspension or elimination from workplace as Bishop of Awka and Archbishop of the Province of the Niger, may be imposed on him.
The cleric additionally appealed to the court docket to declare that no less than one of many 10 offences listed underneath part 1 of Canon XVI have to be established earlier than disciplinary motion can lawfully be taken in opposition to him.
The provisions define offences for which senior clerics, together with the primate, archbishops, bishops, monks and deacons, could also be tried underneath the church’s disciplinary framework.
Mr Ibezim additional prayed the court docket to find out the correct interpretation and utility of a number of constitutional and canonical provisions governing the duties, powers and obligations of assorted workplaces throughout the Church of Nigeria.
The cleric cited numerous provisions of the Canons to incorporate Cannon V, VI, VII, IX, XII, XIV, XV, XVI and XVII, as foundation for his lawsuit which offered a spread of authorized questions that he needs the court docket to resolve.
Mr Ibezim additionally prayed the court docket to concern an interlocutory injunction to restrain the church leaders from suspending, eradicating, retiring, or dismissing him from his ecclesiastical workplaces till the dedication of the substantive swimsuit.
The defendants, whose tackle was listed as St Matthias House, Plot 942, Ibrahim Waziri Crescent, Gudu District, Apo, Abuja, have 42 days from the date of service of the originating summons to enter an look.
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