By Emeka Odogwu
Stakeholders of the Anglican Diocese of Awka have declared that they will not return to the Church of England, insisting that Archbishop Alexander Ibezim should respect the authority of the Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion,Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba.
They encouraged him to hand over to the supervising bishop and Bishop of Aguata Diocese, Right Reverend Samuel Ezeofor.
The stakeholders made their position known during an enlarged meeting with the supervising Bishop Sunday, October 25, 2026.
They urged Archbishop Ibezim to comply with the directive of the Primate and proceed on the compulsory six-month leave earlier imposed on him.
“We are not going back to the Church of England. Archbishop Ibezim is on his own. He should respect the Primate and hand over to the supervising bishop,” the stakeholders declared.
Their resolution comes amid the ongoing leadership dispute within the Awka Anglican Diocese over the directive issued to Archbishop Ibezim and the appointment of a supervising bishop to oversee the diocese during the period of his compulsory leave.
