A court in Nigeria has ruled in favor of The United Methodist Church in an ongoing legal dispute with the Global Methodist Church over registration status and control of resources.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the High Court issued an order directing the Corporate Affairs Commission to reverse its earlier decision that had renamed the United Methodist Church in Nigeria as the Global Methodist Church in Nigeria.
The judge also instructed Zenith Bank Plc to restore immediate access to the church’s accounts to the UMC, according to reports by The Nation.
In his ruling, Egwuatu found that the Corporate Affairs Commission had violated provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act by failing to follow proper procedures for altering the name and trustees of an incorporated organization.
He further stated that members of the denomination must adhere to its established governance rules regarding affiliation and separation, noting that the court does not have authority to override those internal regulations.
“A member of an association can associate or disassociate from an association and not [leave] the association by changing the name of the association,” Egwuatu said, as quoted by The Nation.
The ruling comes amid longstanding internal tensions within the United Methodist Church over doctrinal issues, particularly debates about same-sex marriage and the ordination of noncelibate homosexual clergy.
For years, efforts to revise the denomination’s Book of Discipline at the global General Conference failed, largely due to opposition from delegates representing African regions.
Despite those decisions, some progressive factions within the church continued to push for changes, leading thousands of predominantly conservative congregations to separate from the denomination.
At the 2024 General Conference, delegates ultimately voted to remove longstanding language on these issues, prompting church leaders and congregations in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to reconsider their affiliation with the denomination.
In Nigeria, both same-sex marriage and homosexual conduct are illegal, and the government also restricts participation in LGBT advocacy organizations.
In July 2024, John Wesley Yohanna announced that a regional body had voted during a special session to leave the UMC and align with the Global Methodist Church.
However, other Nigerian United Methodist leaders disputed that claim, asserting that only the former bishop and a small minority — about 10% — had departed from the denomination.
