More interesting actions are trailing last weekend’s re-entry into the office of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers by re-instated chairman, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya.
In the latest development, the secretariat located on Concorde Road Owerri, has been converted to a Women Development Centre and nothing like Eze Imo again, while the outstand Eze Samuel Ohiri who held sway has been converted to be in charge of Community Government Council, CGC.
The battle over chairmanship of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers took another devastating turn when the governor in a statement credited to the secretary to the state government, Prof Anthony Anwukah, deposed Ilomuanya and ordered withdrawal of his staff of office.
When it appeared that the government order may be null and void and of no effect, since the Obi Obinugwu is resisting the statement, the Okorocha government is said to have changed tactics, to ensure the monarch steps out of office completely.
In the renewed warfare against Ilomuanya, Trumpeta as at press time learnt that arrangement has been concluded to convert the secretariat which is in Ilomuanya’s custody since last week into a Women Development Centre. The decision was reached at a high powered meeting of top officials of Imo state government. It was even learnt that security operatives will also be communicated in due course to stop security protection to Ilomuanya at the Eze’s secretariat.
Among the new measures adopted to checkmate Ilomuanya is the withdrawal of Eze Imo title and the transfer of the former occupier, Eze Ohiri as the person in charge of CGC in Imo where Ndi Eze in Imo play pivotal roles as chairman of their various autonomous communities at the local levels.
Trumpeta further gathered that should government go ahead with the plot, Ilomuanya may consider seeking a fresh office to operate or relocate to his private house to continue in office
Meanwhile, in a statement made available to Trumpeta, from Ilomuanya’s it informed the public to disregard what it called lies been spread by the Imo State Government that his purported ineffective dethronement was based on a Resolution of the Imo House of Assembly, adding that Justice Paschal Nnadi of Owerri High Court had in his judgment of March 20, 2013, in Suit No. HOW/103/2012, ordered that the said Resolution of the House against Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, having been done in contravention of Section 36 of the 1999 constitution, is “null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.
“In the eyes of the law, the kangaroo Resolution is ‘DEAD and WORTHLESS’. It is therefore, shameful that reference is being made to this obsolete Resolution by the SSA (Media) to the Governor, Sam Onwuemedo, in a civilized society like ours; all in a desperate effort to justify a heinous agenda.
Consequently, Eze (Dr) Ilomuanya appeals to the public particularly Traditional Rulers in Imo State, to remain calm as there is no cause for alarm. Truth is like pregnancy that cannot be hidden, Kennedy Eweama, Ilomuanya’s media aide added.
In a related development a Federal High Court in Owerri has again dismissed the application of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, seeking a stay of execution of the court’s judgment in a suit brought by HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, Chairman of Imo State Council of Ndi-Eze against the governor and 10 others, over the invasion of his residence in Owerri on August 5, 2011 by agents of the state government.
In its earlier judgment delivered on November 29, 2012, the court had declared the invasion of the monarch’s residence and the carting away of three vehicles belonging to him, as unlawful. It therefore ordered the governor to pay Eze Ilomuanya N10 million naira as damages for such unlawful conduct.
To evade making the payment, Governor Okorocha brought a motion for stay of the court’s judgment, arguing amongst other reasons that he is optimistic of winning the case on appeal.
In her ruling on Tuesday, Justice O.O. Oguntoyibo frowned at the governor’s request, noting that the governor had failed to disclose any special reason to warrant the court to accede to his request. In re-affirming the court’s earlier order that governor Okorocha should pay Eze Ilomuanya N10 million naira as damages for the illegal invasion of his residence, the judge described the stay of execution application as a calculated attempt to frustrate the monarch from reaping the benefits of his judicial victory.
The Judge further averred that the governor had not done anything convincing to suggest that he is desirous of appealing against the court’s judgment at the Court of Appeal, positing that the court’s judgment of November 29, 2012 subsists.
Meanwhile, succor and a sigh of relief came on the side of Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya, CON when his community, Obinugwu Autonomous Community in Oru LGA of Imo state passed a vote of confidence on him over the Imo State Government claim of dethroning him as a traditional ruler.
In a letter to Trumpeta Newspaper and signed by the entire community and its
Town Union President Sir Fred C Okeke including her Traditional Prime Minister, Prof Romanus Unegbu, they said that after their emergency meeting on Tuesday 10th June, 2014 they found Eze Ilomuanya not guilty of government accusations. The community agreed that in 18 years of his being on throne, the community has enjoyed absolute peace and confidence with many developmental projects that he attracted for them.
Moreso, they prayed the state government not to destabilize the peace and unity of the community as their unanimous vote of confidence speaks volume of their love for him. Lastly, they affirmed of their support to the government but warned him to adhere to the rule of law as was enshrined in the Imo state anthem.
