THE Traditional Religious Practitioners’ Association (TRPA) in Nigeria has dragged the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to court over the Commission’s refusal to register the group as a religious body.
In a process filed at the Federal High Court in Enugu, the group said it should be recognised like other religious associations such as the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
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In its online application for registration to the CAC in June 2022, the Traditional Religious Practitioners Association, led by Dibia Chukwuma Ezeoruonye and two others as the Trustees, requested for the TRPA to be registered as a corporate entity for the promotion of their faith, but the CAC in its reply to the application turned down the registration request.
The Commission, in its reply to the TRPA on July 11 2022, according to the Vanguard, said: “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.”
In Suit No FHC/EN/CS/140/2022), the traditional worshippers contend that by the denial for registration the CAC has discriminated against the plaintiffs on the grounds of their religious worship, contrary to the provision of Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Joined in the suit as co-defendants are the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney General and Minister for Justice.
The group also claimed that the CAC’s refusal is discriminatory, contrary to the 1999 Constitution as amended, adding that the refusal under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act was ultra vires and unlawful.
“Other religious groups have been incorporated by the defendants but chose to deny us just because we are traditional worshippers; there is no other way to convince the defendants to go ahead and incorporate us as the Board of Trustees of the Association except by the intervention of this court,” the group said in the petition.
The traditional religion practitioners therefore asked the court to determine if the group is registrable and whether the CAC was right to have denied the approval of the name that does not offend the law.
The group is equally asking the court for an order compelling the CAC to approve the registration.
Ezeoruonye, the group’s leader, in his affidavit in support of the originating summon, stated that the reason given for the denial of the approval does not accord with the circumstances allowed by the law for the CAC to deny them registration.
A reporter with the ICIR
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