VETERAN JOURNALIST AND FORMER NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR DELE COLE DIES AT 86.(PHOTO).
The ex Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of the Diocese of Awka (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim, has taken the Primate of the Church of Nigeria to court over moves to discipline him.
In an originating summons filed on October 13, 2026 at the High Court of Anambra State, Awka Judicial Division, Ibezim is suing the Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, as first defendant.
The second defendant is the Dean of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Blessing Enyindah, who chairs a visitation team to the Diocese of Awka.
The summons describes the team as "illegally constituted" by the Primate through a letter dated June 17, 2026.
Ibezim is asking the court for three declarations. First, that the procedure for disciplining a serving diocesan bishop is set out in the 2020 Constitution and Canons of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), citing sections 55 and 75 to 76 of the Constitution and sections 22 to 28 of Canon XVI.
He says it must be strictly followed before any sanction, including suspension or removal from office as Bishop of Awka and Archbishop of the Province of the Niger.
Second, that at least one of the ten offences listed in section 1 of Canon XVI, for which a primate, archbishop, bishop, priest or deacon may be tried, must be proved before any disciplinary measure is imposed on him.
Third, that on a proper interpretation of the Constitution and Canons, a long list of provisions, covering the duties and powers of the various offices, governs the matter. The listed provisions include sections of Canons V, VI, VII, IX, XII, XIV, XV, XVI and XVII..
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