Anglican priests abandon Ibezim, back primate as Ezeofor holds first service

The Anglican Diocese of Awka has witnessed a fresh development in its ongoing leadership crisis as priests of the diocese reportedly rallied behind the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, following the first service conducted by Samuel Ezeofor, the newly appointed supervising bishop, at St. Faith’s Cathedral.

The service on Wednesday marked a significant development in the dispute between Alexander Ibezim and the leadership of the Church of Nigeria over the administration of the diocese.

The development comes after Henry Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, reportedly directed Ibezim to proceed on a compulsory six-month leave to allow an investigation into allegations against him.

However, Ibezim reportedly rejected the directive and through Nwofor, the diocesan chancellor, challenged the appointment of Ezeofor as the supervising bishop of the diocese.

Despite the opposition, Ezeofor proceeded with the service at St. Faith’s Cathedral, where priests in attendance reportedly reaffirmed their allegiance to the Primate and the Church of Nigeria.

The clergymen also reportedly rejected the position taken by the diocesan board under Ibezim, which opposed Ndukuba’s decision.

Their reported stance signals a deepening divide over the authority responsible for overseeing the affairs of the diocese, with the Primate’s directive emerging as a central point of contention.

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In a move aimed at restoring peace and unity, Ezeofor directed every church in the diocese to nominate between four and five persons to serve as stakeholders in a reconciliation process.

The initiative is expected to provide a platform for consultations among members of the diocese and encourage dialogue towards resolving the leadership dispute.

The crisis has raised concerns about unity and stability within the Anglican Diocese of Awka, as the opposing positions of Ibezim and the Church of Nigeria’s leadership continue to shape developments in the diocese.

Ezeofor’s first service and the reported reaffirmation of allegiance by priests represent a new chapter in the dispute, with attention now turning to the proposed reconciliation process and the next steps in resolving the crisis.

As events unfold, the ability of the Church’s leadership and stakeholders to pursue dialogue and respect the applicable ecclesiastical procedures will be crucial to restoring lasting peace and unity within the diocese.

The leadership crisis has been accompanied by heightened security presence around the Diocese, with the Anambra State Police Command earlier assuring residents that additional personnel would be deployed to maintain peace and order.

Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer, had stated that the Command was prepared to strengthen security arrangements in the area to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

“The presence of the security operatives is to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order at the Cathedral, and the Command has urged the warring factions to be law-abiding and not to take the laws into their hands,” Ikenga said.

He further stated that the Command had no support or sympathy for any of the factions, adding that it would not allow miscreants to exploit the situation to commit crimes.