The Registered Trustees of the Church of Nigeria Anglican
Communion (RTCNAC) and four others have been dragged before the
Federal High Court, Abuja over alleged amendment of canons.
Others joined as defendants in the suit are the Archbishop
Metropolitan and Primate of the church, Rev. Nicholas D. Okon, the
Dean of the church, Rev. Buba Lamido, the chancellor of the church,
Henry Odein Ajumogobia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and the
registrar of the church, Mr. Abraham N. Yisa.
All the defendants were dragged before the court by Ugo
Obi-Okoye, who sued them as a communicant member and on behalf of
the Laity of the church.
The plaintiff’s statement of claims stated that the first
defendant, RTCNAC, like other incorporated trustees, has its own
compendium of rules and regulations to guide its affair. RTCNAC
extant and subsisting rules and regulations is known as ‘The
Constitution and Canons, 1997 (as amended).”
He averred that the defendant ‘s constitution and canons, has a
legislative known as “ The General Synod’ whose duty is to amend or
alter the constitution and canons of RTCNAC where necessary.
The plaintiff held that the church’s General Synod, in line with
its constitutional power, between September 18-23, 2017, held its
session at Port Harcourt, River State wherein in further amended
the constitution and canon of RTCNAC.
He averred that prior to the deliberation and passage of the
amendment of the constitution and canons of the church, the
proposal for the amendments were sent to all province and dioceses
of the church in Nigeria for their in-puts and approval, and same
were collated and informed the amendments passed by the General
Synod at Port Harcourt sessions.
However, according to the plaintiff, when the further amended
constitution and canons of RTCNAC was published, a provision that
was never deliberated upon and passed at the said general synod
session at Port Harcourt was surreptitiously inserted as Paragraph
3 (2) of Canon III.
Obi-Okoye alleged that following the invidious smuggling of the
section into the constitution and Canon of the church, a provision
not legislated upon by the general synod in which the plaintiff
participated in, there have been hues and cries across the entire
stata of the church, calling for the removal of the obnoxious
provision.
He added that the most vocal and ardent protesters were the
lawyers in the church fold known as ‘Conference of Chancellor,
Registrars and Legal Officers Joint Council of the Province East of
the Niger’.
Among the prayers of the plaintiff before the court are a
declaration that only the general synod of the church has the
competence and power to amend or alter the constitution and canon
of RTCNAC and no other body or person.
A perpetual injunction restraining all the defendants their
subordinates, workman, servants or privies from whatsoever putting
into effect or relying on the provisions of the said paragraph in
conduct of next election of primate of the church.
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