Traditional Religion Worshippers Go To Court As CAC Denies Registration, Says Practice Not Acceptable In Nigeria

The Traditional Religion Practitioners’ Association (TRPA) in Nigeria has filed a lawsuit against the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, at the Federal High Court, Enugu after the commission declined its application to be registered as a religious body like the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA.

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GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that the Traditional Religious Practitioners Association, TRPA, led by Dibia Chukwuma Ezeoruonye and two others as Trustees, had sent an online application for registration to the CAC in June 2022, requesting that the TRPA be registered as a corporate entity for the promotion of their faith.

However, the commission in its reply to the application declined the request for registration.

The CAC in its reply to the TRPA on July 11 wrote: “The CAC regrets to inform you that it was unable to approve any of the names(s) submitted for approval…name not registrable as their forms of worship and practices are not publicly available.”

Traditional Religion Worshippers Go To Court As CAC Says Practise Not Acceptable In Nigeria

The traditional religious worshippers In their application to the court (Suit No FHC/EN/CS/140/2022) through their counsel, Obi K. Odo Esquire, stated that the denial of registration, implies that the CAC has discriminated against the group on the ground of their religious worship, contrary to the provision of section 42 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“Other religious groups have been incorporated by the defendants but chose to deny us because we are traditional worshippers; there is no other way to convince the defendants to go ahead and incorporate us as the Board of Trustee of the Association except by the intervention of this court,” the plaintiffs petitioned.

Joined in the suit as co-defendants are the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice.

The group pleaded with the court to order the CAC to approve the registration; determine if the group is registrable and confirm if the CAC was right to have declined the registration of the name that does not offend the law.

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The leader of the TRPA Board of Trustees, Dibia Chukwuma Ezeoruonye while supporting the originating summon in his affidavit hinted that the reason for the denial of the approval does not accord with the circumstances allowed by the law for the CAC to refuse the proposed name and thereby breached their freedom of religion which was quoted to be guaranteed in section 38 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The process which was filed at the Federal High Court in Enugu on July 21 will commence hearing after the resumption of Judges from their annual vacation.

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