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Pope enthrones Nigerian Bishop, Okpaleke as Cardinal

August 28, 2022

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Pope Francis at the Vatican has enthroned a Nigerian Catholic Bishop, Peter Eberechukwu Okpaleke, as a cardinal priest, Saturday, August 27.

The 59 year-old Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese in Nigeria is among the 21 recent appointees of the Pope to the position. However, only 20 of the new cardinalates were created yesterday, as one nominee asked to be exempted.

The Church hierarchy indicated that 16 of the new cardinals qualify to join electors in future to choose a successor to the current Pontiff.

This is because five of the appointees are over the voting age limit of 80. As they probably have retired, their new titles would be merely honorary.

Cover picture shows Peter Cardinal Okpaleke of Nigeria kneeling before Pope Francis to receive his accoutrements.

These include his biretta, cardinal’s ring and assignment of a “titular” church in Rome, making him part of the Roman clergy.

His titular Church in Rome is the Ss. Martiri dell’Uganda a Poggio Ameno.

Cardinals are princes of the Church who, as members of the Sacred College of Cardinals, meet in conclave to elect a new pope.

They are principal counselors and aides who assist the Pope to manage the government of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.

The Pontiff announced 21 cardinals in May but formally enthroned 20 yesterday, 27 August 2022, at the Consistory in Rome.

These appointments mark a strategic change in the Church hierarchy and position his appointees to influence who succeeds the current Pontiff. His eligible appointees make up 63 percent of electors at the next conclave.

Prominent citizens of Anambra and Nigeria witnessed his formal enthronement yesterday in Rome.

Among those sighted in the congregation were presidential aspirant Peter Obi, Anambra Governor Charles Soludo and Senator Uche Ekwunife.

About the new Cardinal

He was born Peter Ebere Okpaleke on 1 March 1963 at Amesi in Nigeria’s Anambra State.

Young Peter Okpaleke attended local schools in his native Amesi until 1983 when he enrolled in the Bigard Memorial Major Seminary in Ikot-Ekpene and Enugu.

At Bigard, he successfully completed his philosophy and theology training and became a priest of the Diocese of Awka on 22 August 1990.

In his faith journey, he served as a university chaplain, parish priest, diocesan finance administrator, diocesan chancellor, and secretary and member of diocesan boards.

Okpaleke subsequently studied canon law in Rome at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

The Pope appointed him Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese after formally resigning as Bishop of Ahiara Diocese in Imo State.

He formally resumed in the new Diocese after his installation as Bishop on 29 April 2020.

At Ahiara, he faced stiff opposition from indigenous clergy and adherents who preferred an indigenous Bishop appointed for their diocese.

Pope Francis approved a new Diocese at Ekwulobia, carved out of Awka Diocese, with Okpaleke as pioneer Bishop.

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Opinion

Suspension of Mike Ozekhome SAN: A Hasty Decision By The LPPC And The Prejudicial Effect Of Same

by Newsdesk Africa

June 26, 2026

By Sheriff. C. ADELE, Esq On June 23, 2026, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), at its 173rd General Meeting, approved the suspension of Chief Mike Ozekhome from the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). The suspension, announced pursuant to Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is to remain in force pending the final determination of disciplinary proceedings before the LPPC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee. While the LPPC asserts that the suspension is intended to "safeguard the integrity, dignity and prestige of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria", this decision raises profound concerns about procedural propriety, jurisdictional overreach, and the prejudicial effect it portends for both the legal profession and the administration of justice. This article critically examines the hasty decision of the LPPC, its implications, and why it constitutes a premature verdict that undermines the very principles of natural justice the legal profession is sworn to uphold. Chief Mike Ozekhome, a prominent constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate, is currently facing disciplinary proceedings before the LPPC’s Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee. The proceedings relate to his involvement in a controversial property dispute in the United Kingdom concerning a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London. Chief Ozekhome is also standing trial before an FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on a 12-count charge, to which he has pleaded not guilty. What is particularly significant and troubling is that the same issues before the LPPC are also pending before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), the body statutorily charged with the responsibility of sanctioning legal practitioners for professional misconduct. The LPDC is yet to make any determination on the substantive allegations against chief Ozekhome. Yet, the LPPC has proceeded to impose a suspension that, in practical effect, constitutes a pre-determinative sanction. The Distinct Jurisdictions of the LPPC and LPDC To appreciate the gravity of the LPPC’s decision, it is essential to understand the distinct and separate roles of the LPPC and the LPDC under Nigerian law. The LPPC is a statutory body established under Section 5 of the Legal Practitioners Act. Its primary function is to consider and determine eligible applicants for the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the LPPC is also empowered to make rules as to the privileges to be accorded to Senior Advocates of Nigeria. While the LPPC has disciplinary powers over SAN holders, these powers are ancillary to its primary function of conferring and regulating the rank. The LPPC's disciplinary authority is derived from its guidelines, including Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. However, this authority is limited to matters pertaining to the rank itself and the privileges associated with it. The LPDC, by contrast, is a committee of the Body of Benchers established under Section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act. Its mandate is far broader and more fundamental: it is the primary disciplinary body for all legal practitioners in Nigeria. The LPDC exercises jurisdiction over all lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar and is empowered to investigate allegations of professional misconduct and impose sanctions ranging from admonition to suspension and disbarment. The Critical Distinction The distinction between these two bodies is not merely academic, it is fundamental to the proper administration of justice in the legal profession. The LPPC is primarily a conferring and privilege-regulating body. The LPDC is the disciplinary body par excellence. While the LPPC may have incidental disciplinary powers over SAN holders, these powers cannot supplant or pre-empt the primary disciplinary jurisdiction of the LPDC. When the same issues are pending before both bodies, as they are in chief Ozekhome’s case, the LPDC’s determination on professional misconduct must logically precede any disciplinary sanction from the LPPC. The LPPC cannot independently determine facts of professional misconduct that are the exclusive province of the LPDC. The Hasty Decision: A Premature Verdict The LPPC’s decision to suspend chief Ozekhome from the rank of SAN pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings is, with respect, a hasty and premature verdict that suffers from several fundamental flaws. Procedural Impropriety ...