Supervising Bishop of Awka, Ezeofor Sacks Diocesan Chancellor
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The leadership crisis rocking the Diocese of Awka, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has deepened following a letter purportedly issued by the Supervising Bishop of the diocese, the Rt. Rev. Dr Samuel C. Ezeofor, announcing the removal of the diocesan Chancellor, Sir B. E. I. Nwofor, SAN, from office.
The development marks a fresh escalation of the dispute over the exercise of ecclesiastical authority within the Church of Nigeria, which has already resulted in a bitter disagreement over the compulsory leave imposed on the Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of Awka Diocese, the Most Rev. Alexander Chibuzo Ibezim.
According to the letter dated Saturday, October 17, 2026, and written on the letterhead of the Diocese of Awka, Nwofor was accused of allegedly using his position to undermine the authority of the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, and defying lawful directives issued by the church leadership.
In the letter addressed to Nwofor at Emmanuel Chambers, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Ezeofor declared the senior lawyer unfit to continue serving as Chancellor of the Diocese of Awka.
The letter, signed by Ezeofor in his capacity as Supervising Bishop, accused Nwofor of engaging in activities allegedly 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, 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 letter stated.
Consequently, Ezeofor announced the withdrawal of Nwofor’s appointment as Chancellor 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 of the diocese.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Primate, the Chancellor of the Church of Nigeria and the church’s Registrar.
However, the letter did not provide specific details of the activities allegedly considered insubordinate or identify the particular directives Nwofor was accused of disobeying.
The latest development is rooted in the widening disagreement over the decision of the Primate to direct Ibezim to proceed on six months’ compulsory leave to allow a committee to investigate various allegations reportedly levelled against him.
In a letter dated October 13, 2026, Ndukuba directed Ibezim to proceed on 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 throughout the period of his leave.
Following the directive, Ndukuba appointed Ezeofor, the Bishop of Aguata Diocese, as Supervising Bishop of Awka Diocese and Coordinating Bishop of the Province of the Niger to oversee the affected ecclesiastical jurisdictions during Ibezim’s absence.
The appointment, however, was rejected by the Awka Diocesan Board, which insisted that Ibezim remained the legitimate leader of the diocese.
The board also warned that the diocese could consider withdrawing from the Church of Nigeria if the disputed directives were not reversed.
The controversy has also 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.
However, the allegations remain distinct from any established finding of wrongdoing. The Primate’s publicly reported explanation for directing Ibezim to proceed on leave centred on the need to facilitate further investigation, while the details and outcome of the underlying inquiries remain matters of continuing public interest.
The compulsory leave has consequently generated competing positions within the diocese over the powers of the Primate, the authority of the diocesan leadership and the extent to which the church’s administrative decisions should be exercised while related legal proceedings are pending.
At an emergency meeting held on Friday, October 16, at the Chapel of Divine Favour, Anglican Village, Ifite-Awka, the Diocesan Board rejected both the directive requiring Ibezim to proceed on compulsory leave and Ezeofor’s appointment as Supervising Bishop.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the board expressed confidence in Ibezim and questioned the authority of the Primate to impose compulsory leave on the serving bishop and transfer his responsibilities to another bishop 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 already before the courts.
It also directed the organs of the diocese to remain loyal to Ibezim and reject directives issued by Ezeofor in his capacity as Supervising Bishop.
The board further warned that it could consider withdrawing from the Church of Nigeria if the dispute persisted, raising the prospect of a major institutional rupture within the Anglican Church in Nigeria.
The position adopted by the board has intensified the confrontation between the diocesan leadership and the Primate, with the latest removal of Nwofor introducing another layer of disagreement into an already volatile situation.
The crisis has also assumed a legal dimension, with the parties advancing competing interpretations of 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 requiring Ibezim to proceed on leave.
The Diocesan Board, however, has challenged the applicability of the provision to the compulsory leave of a serving bishop and the appointment of another bishop to exercise oversight over the diocese.
The disagreement has therefore extended beyond the status of Ibezim to questions concerning the interpretation of the church’s governing constitution, the limits of ecclesiastical authority and the relationship between the national church leadership and the diocesan administration.
The board’s rejection of Ezeofor’s appointment, coupled with the purported removal of Nwofor, has further complicated efforts to resolve the dispute and restore administrative stability within the diocese.
For now, the removal of the diocesan Chancellor adds another contentious chapter to a crisis that has evolved from the compulsory leave of a serving archbishop into a wider struggle over episcopal oversight, diocesan leadership, constitutional authority and the unity of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).
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