Enugu Diocese rejects Anambra man as Bishop

Threaten legal action

By Chike Odum

Christian worshipers at Enugu Dicocese have overwhelmingly rejected the prospect of having a Bishop from Anambra, the twin state of Enugu.

The worshipers have kicked against the recent election of Ven. Prof. Sam Ike who hails from Anambra State.

He was on August 8 elected the Bishop of Enugu Diocese but his elevation has fueled a bitter inter-ethnic rivalry among people of the same stock with him. Observers are concerned that this is happening among Christians.

The election was held on Aug. 13, 2024, in Abuja.

But the Enugu Diocese with hundreds of worshipers are insisting the new Bishop would not be accepted.

They insist on having a Bishop from Enugu State, Irohinoodua correspondent in Enugu was informed on Monday.

A petition has already been submitted by Kingsley Okah, a justice advocate, on behalf of the people of Enugu who continue to dispute the election that produced the new Bishop.

In the petition, Enugu said the “the election outcome is a clear indication of the church’s insensitivity and disregard for fairness and justice.”

Enugu said that Ven. Prof. Ike is a puppet of the retired Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma who equally faced opposition during his tenue

In years past Bishop Peter Okpaleke from Anambra state had been rejected by the Ahiala Diocese of the Catholic Church in Imo state.

In the petition it was posted that Anglican Church ceaslessly exclude the people of Enugu, and that the first bishop of Enugu was from Anambra, and the immediate past bishop was from Asaba.

“It’s quite embarrassing how they want to impose a Bishop from Anambra State on Enugu. Our people will never accept this” an official of Enugu Diocese who does not wish to be named told Irohinoodua in Enugu.

The petition demanded that the church hierarchy revisit the election outcome, citing the need for fairness and justice.

The Catholic Diocese of Ahiara, had successfully rejected Okpaleke on the basis of his origin.

Okpaleke later took the position of appointed Bishop of Ekwulobia, in Anambra State, his ancestral home where he later became a Cardinal ordained by Pope Francis