Crisis : court orders parties to igweship tussle in Anambra to maintain status quo

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

An Oba High court, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, presided over by Justice N.L. Onyeka, sitting as vacation judge at Awka High court 3, Wednesday, ordered parties to the Igwe Ezeokpoko 11 suit, brought before her, to maintain status quo till 27th August 2024, when the substantive suit will be heard.

She gave the order after hearing submissions of parties in the suit No, HID/223/2024, and motion No. HO/802/2024, filed 25th June 2024, by the plaintiffs, (Nze Dozie Nweke, Samuel Mogbo and Mr. Sunday Okonkwo), through their counsels, Orlando SYZ and Sunny Yakubu Zeruwa.

The defendants include, Incorporated Trustees of Oba Patriotic Union, (OPU), Anthony Uzochukwu Ejiofor, Mr. Nwabueze Emebo, Austin Azubogu and Ndu Ikeokwu while their counsel is, Emeka Anyanwu.

In the suit, the plaintiffs sought for the following reliefs: an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, privies, committees, or any other person or persons acting for them, or on their behalf, from further taking any step or steps acting for them or on their behalf, from further taking any step or steps or actions, henceforth in, or towards the election/ selection of any person as Igwe Ezeokpoko 11 of Oba, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The plaintiffs also prayed the court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies, servants, committees or by whatever name called or Igwe Ezeokpoko 11 election/selection or committee of any person or persons acting for them or on their behalf from electing/selecting any person as Ezeokpoko 11, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The court however, refused the prayers but rather ordered that parties should maintain status quo adding that granting the prayers of the plaintiffs means ruling on the matter and adjourned the case to 27th August 2024 for hearing on the substantive suit.

Reacting outside the court hall, counsel to the defendants, Anyanwu, said, “Court said we should wait, and that is what it should be, for the substantive application to be heard on the 27th of this August, and then to get a final ruling on whether the process that have been going through would be cancelled or not”.

Orlando and Zeruwa, counsels to the plaintiffs, told newsmen that, “We went for the ruling of the motion on notice, we filed, argued on the 12th of July, so the court in its wisdom, we prayed that the executives should be stopped from any action of selecting an Igwe, pending when the court finishes the main substantive suit we filed and this our prayer are exactly what we asked for in the main suit, stopping the executives on the steps they were taking and follow the constitutional provision.

“So the court in its wisdom said no, that instead of giving us, answering this prayer on notice means to grant the prayer, the relieved we sought for in the main suit, they said no, that since they are both the same prayers, they should go straight to the main suit, but rather summarizing our prayer, ordered that the action should be stopped, that no action should be taken on the election of Igwe again pending the determination of this suit.