Tussle Over Chairmanship Of Imo Rulers Council: Supreme Court Sacks Gov Okorocha Appointed Eze Ohiri, Reinstates Ilomuanya

The four-year battle for the chairmanship stool of Imo State Council
of Traditional Rulers, has finally been settled, following the sacking
of the Governor Rochas Okorocha appointed Eze Samuel Agunwa Ohiri, by
the Supreme Court.

The apex court of the land reinstated Cletus Ilomuanya, Monday.

Governor Okorocha had, on assumption of office in 2011, not only
sacked the substantive Chairman of the Traditional Rulers' Council,
Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, but also named Ohiri as his replacement.

Irked by the governor's action, Eze Ilomuanya dragged Okorocha, the
State Attorney General and Imo State Government to court, challenging
his sack.

Vanguard recalls that not satisfied with the judgment of the State
High Court, presided over by Hon. Benjamin Njemanze, Eze Ilomuanya
approached the Court of Appeal, Owerri.

On July 13, 2013, the Appeal Court ruled Okorocha's sacking of
Ilomuanya as ultra vires and of no effect, and reinstated him.

While Okorocha approached the Supreme Court on appeal, Ohiri went back
to the lower court, challenging the nomenclature of his office.

Ohiri told the court that he was the Chairman of Imo State Council of
Ndieze and not Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, adding that on
the strength of this, he had no tussle with Ilomuanya.

Before dismissing the suit on grounds of abuse of court process, Hon.
Justice Ngozi Ukoha took a critical analysis of the originating
summons, written and oral arguments and ruled that some of the
documents signed by Ohiri proved his involvement in activating Imo
State Council of Traditional Rulers.

While ruling that the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the same
subject matter was binding on the High Court, Justice Ukoha also
declared the suit as "frivolous, distasteful and an abuse of court
process".
--Vanguard