The Oyo State High Court has dismissed a legal action brought against the Nigerian Baptist Convention and its President, Rev. Dr. Israel Adelani Akanji, by a group of former pastors and church members challenging their removal and the disfellowshipping of their church.
The suit, filed under Suit No. I/710/2024 by Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Oyewole Oyekan and four others, was struck out by Hon. Justice O. A. Adetujoye on Thursday, June 19, 2025, following a successful preliminary objection raised by the defendants.
According to a statement released by Seyon Idowu Koshoedo, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, the claimants—Rev. Dr. E. O. Oyekan, Rev. Dr. C. D. Oluwabukola, Deacon I. O. Akanmu, Mrs. B. D. Oyewole, and Sister Olajoke Akinyemi—had approached the court on behalf of themselves and members of Ajegunle Baptist Church (also known as New Glory Chapel, Agbowo, Ibadan).
The claimants contested the June 10, 2024 letter from the Convention President which announced the derobing of Rev. Oyekan and nine other pastors, as well as the disfellowshipping of the church from the Convention.
However, while the matter was before the court, several members of the Ajegunle Baptist Church and six pastors from its daughter churches publicly distanced themselves from the suit. They emphasized their loyalty to the Nigerian Baptist Convention and rejected the “New Glory Baptist Church” identity claimed by the litigants, which subsequently led the Convention to reverse its earlier decisions concerning them.
In court, the Convention’s legal team, led by the firm of Chief Adeniyi Akintola, SAN & Co., filed a preliminary objection arguing that the claimants lacked legal standing (locus standi) to sue. The objection cited the registration of New Glory Baptist Church as a separate entity with the Corporate Affairs Commission, making the claimants no longer recognized members of the Convention.
Following arguments on the objection heard on March 18, 2025, Justice Adetujoye upheld the defendants’ position, ruling that the claimants had no legal right to challenge the Convention’s internal decisions. As such, the case was dismissed in its entirety.
The ruling effectively brings an end to the internal dispute and affirms the authority of the Nigerian Baptist Convention in matters concerning church affiliation and pastoral appointments.
“This ruling has brought closure to the issues surrounding Ajegunle Baptist Church and reaffirmed the Convention’s constitutional and ecclesiastical governance,” the statement from Koshoedo concluded.
