Nigeria’s Anglican Primate, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, has declared that the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, is severing her spiritual ties and can no longer recognize the leadership of the Church of England or its newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, describing her election as “insensitive and devastating” for the global Anglican Communion.
In a statement issued Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Abuja, Ndukuba said Mullally’s appointment disregarded both the biblical convictions of many Anglicans who oppose female headship in the episcopate and her public support for same-sex marriage blessings. He said the development marked a troubling moral decline and deepening theological crisis within Anglicanism.
Mullally, 63, who was confirmed Oct. 3 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, is the first woman ever to hold the post. Formerly the Bishop of London and before that Chief Nursing Officer for England, she now succeeds Archbishop Justin Welby as the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, which represents some 85 million members worldwide.
“The election is a double jeopardy,” Ndukuba said. “First, it disregards the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who cannot accept female headship in the episcopate; and second, it is more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage.”
“It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican Communion by the contentious same-sex marriage, which has caused enormous crisis across the Communion for over two decades,” the Church of Nigeria statement said.
The statement continued: “This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Nigeria’s Anglican Church said it stands firmly with the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), a fellowship of conservative Anglican provinces primarily in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Gafcon earlier said Mullally’s appointment was “impossible as a focus of unity” because of her record supporting same-sex marriage blessings within the Church of England, as previously reported by Christian Daily International.
During the 2023 synod vote that approved the blessing of same-sex unions, Mullally had described the outcome as “a moment of hope for the Church,” a statement that many conservative provinces viewed as a rejection of biblical teaching on marriage.
Reaffirming alignment with Gafcon, Ndukuba said the Church of Nigeria “upholds the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living, irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda.”
He also extended support to Anglicans in England who continue to resist same-sex marriage and related reforms: “We encourage all faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England who have consistently rejected the aberration called same-sex marriage and other ungodly teachings, by contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).”
“May the Spirit of the Good Shepherd continue to guide His Church,” the Nigerian primate concluded.
