By Our Correspondent
The leadership crisis rocking the Diocese of Awka, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has taken a dramatic turn following a letter purportedly issued by the Supervising Bishop of the diocese, the Rt. Rev. Dr Samuel C. Ezeofor, removing the diocesan Chancellor, Sir B. E. I. Nwofor, SAN, from office.
The letter, dated Saturday, October 17, 2026, and written on the letterhead of the Diocese of Awka, accused Nwofor of allegedly using his position to undermine the authority of the Primate of the Church of Nigeria and defying lawful directives issued by the church leadership.
The development marks a fresh escalation of the dispute, which erupted following the decision of the Primate, the Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, to direct the Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of Awka Diocese, the Most Rev. Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim, to proceed on six months’ compulsory leave.
The Primate subsequently appointed Ezeofor, Bishop of Aguata Diocese, as Supervising Bishop of Awka Diocese and Coordinating Bishop of the Province of the Niger during Ibezim’s absence.
However, the appointment was said to rejected by the Awka Diocesan Board, which has insisted that Ibezim remains its legitimate leader and warned that the diocese could withdraw from the Church of Nigeria if the disputed directives are not reversed.
In the letter addressed to Nwofor at Emmanuel Chambers, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Ezeofor declared him unfit to continue as Chancellor of the Diocese of Awka.
The letter, signed by Ezeofor in his capacity as Supervising Bishop, accused the senior lawyer of engaging in activities intended to undermine the authority of the Primate and bring the Church of Nigeria into disrepute.
It stated that the alleged conduct was incompatible with his continued service as Chancellor of a diocese under the Church of Nigeria.
“Following your ignoble and unfortunate activities regarding the events in the Diocese of Awka,” the letter read, “we hereby inform you that you are unfit to remain as the Chancellor of a Diocese under the same Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) led by the Primate.”
The bishop consequently announced the withdrawal of Nwofor’s position with effect from the date of the letter.
He also directed the former Chancellor to hand over all diocesan properties and documents in his possession to the Legal Secretary.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Primate, the Chancellor of the Church of Nigeria and the church’s Registrar.
The letter did not provide specific details of the activities said to constitute insubordination, nor did it identify particular directives allegedly disobeyed by Nwofor.
Nwofor’s response to the allegations was not contained in the document available to this newspaper.
The latest development is rooted in the widening disagreement over the exercise of ecclesiastical authority within the Church of Nigeria.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, Ndukuba directed Ibezim to proceed on six months’ leave following concerns arising from developments within the diocese and the consideration of reports from administrative investigations.
The Primate said the measure was intended to facilitate a fair investigation, restore peace and promote reconciliation within the diocese.
He maintained that the leave was an administrative measure rather than a disciplinary sanction.
The directive also barred Ibezim from officiating at activities of the Church of Nigeria, the Province of the Niger and the Diocese of Awka during the period of his leave.
Ezeofor was appointed to assume episcopal responsibilities and oversee the affected ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
The controversy has been linked in media reports to allegations of financial and administrative misconduct, including claims concerning the unauthorised sale of church land reportedly valued at more than ₦2 billion.
The allegations remain distinct from any established finding of wrongdoing. The Primate’s publicly reported explanation centred on the need for further investigation, while the details and outcome of the underlying inquiries remain matters of continuing public interest.
At an emergency meeting held on Friday, October 16, at the Chapel of Divine Favour, Anglican Village, Ifite-Awka, the board rejected both the directive against Ibezim and Ezeofor’s appointment as Supervising Bishop.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the board declared its confidence in Ibezim and questioned the authority of the Primate to impose compulsory leave and transfer the bishop’s responsibilities while related legal proceedings were pending.
The communiqué was signed by Nwofor, the Synod Secretary, Ven. K. E. N. Chukwukamma, and the Lay Synod Secretary, Eugene Chukwudi Okonkwo.
The board argued that the church leadership should refrain from taking actions capable of interfering with matters before the courts.
It also directed organs of the diocese to remain loyal to Ibezim and reject directives issued by Ezeofor in his capacity as Supervising Bishop.
The board warned that it could consider withdrawal from the Church of Nigeria if the dispute persisted, raising the prospect of a major institutional rupture within the Anglican Communion in Nigeria.
The crisis has also assumed a legal dimension, with the parties advancing competing positions on the authority of the Primate and the status of the ongoing proceedings.
Ndukuba reportedly relied on Section 29(1) of Chapter V of the Constitution and Canons of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), 2020, in issuing the directive.
The Diocesan Board, however, has challenged the applicability of that provision to the compulsory leave of a serving bishop and the appointment of another bishop to exercise oversight over the diocese.
For now, the removal of Nwofor adds another contentious chapter to a crisis that has moved from the compulsory leave of a serving archbishop to a dispute over episcopal oversight, the authority of the diocesan leadership and the unity of the Church of Nigeria.
