Nigeria, March 31 -- The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday affirmed the United Methodist Church in Nigeria (UMCN) as validly registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), describing an alteration to the name pushed by some factional members as illegal.

Judge Obiora Egwuatu In a judgement directed the CAC to immediately reverse the church's name from Global Methodist Church in Nigeria (GMCN) to UMCN.

He also ordered the commission to reverse the change of the names of the church's trustees made to the certificate of incorporation on 19 October 2024, describing the action as unlawful, invalid, null and void.

The judge further ordered Zenith Bank Plc, the third defendant in the suit, to grant members of UMCN immediate access a...