The travails of HRH EZE Cletus Ikechukwu ILOMUANYA which have culminated in his final dethronement as the traditional ruler of Obinugwu Autonomous Community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State started on the 6th day of June, 2011.That was the day the then newly elected governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, made his controversial maiden radio broadcast to the populace shortly after he was sworn into office on the 29th May, 2011. In the broadcast, Governor Okorocha made series of policy statements which did not go down well with a wide spectrum of the citizenry thus causing a raising of eyebrows by the social clusters that were adversely affected by the message. One of those controversial policies was the instant dissolution of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers. At the time of the broadcast, HRH EZE Cletus Ilomuanya was the State Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers a.k.a State Council of NDI EZES- a 54 –member Council of traditional rulers drawn from the 27 local government Areas of Imo State. It is pertinent to state that Governor Okorocha also sacked the 10000 Civil/public workers who were employed by the his predecessor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim on the grounds that the appointments were politically motivated. He also sacked the entire elected Chairmen and councilors in the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State on the grounds that the election which brought to power on 7th August 2010 was flawed.
Dissatisfied with the dissolution of the Council, HRH EZE Cletus Ilomuanya filed a suit in the High Court ,Owerri to challenge the dissolution of the Council of Traditional Rulers. Delivering judgment on the suit on the 24th day of February, 2012, the HON Justice B.A. Njemanze who doubles as the Chief Judge of Imo State dismissed the suit on the grounds that it was incompetent .Dissatisfied with the ruling of Justice B.A Njemanze, EZE Ilomuanya appealed to the Court of Appeal, Owerri in a desperate search for justice.
Delivering judgment on the suit on Friday,the 5th day of July, 2013,the Presiding Judge, Philomena Mbua Ekpe held inter alia:”Finally, the learned trial Judge(i.e. Justice B.A Njemanze)went off tangent when he delved into the realm of the Interpretation Act S.11 to state that he who has the power to appoint also reserves the power to remove or suspend. He had lost track of the fact that the respondent(Governor) had earlier denied that the appellant was either hired or fired by the 1st Respondent and thus had no case,Section.2(1),2(4) and 17(a) of the Imo State of Nigeria Traditional Rulers AND Autonomous Communities Law NO.6,2006( as amended) is quite clear. The Appellant was appointed by the Governor of Imo State for a fixed term of five years from January 28th,2010.Again, the said law clearly states that the Appellant in that capacity as Chairman cannot be removed unless by death or resignation, neither of which occurred before the Ist Respondent’s maiden broadcast of the 6th June 2011.From the totality of all of the above, it is my considered view that the learned judge(Justice Njemanze) raised issues suo motu and determined them to the detriment of the Appellant without evidence thus descending into the arena to make a case not made by the respondents. Consequently, this appeal is meritorious and it is hereby allowed. The Appellant (i.e. EZE Ilomuanya) is therefore entitled to all the reliefs in his originating summons. The judgment of the learned Chief Judge(i.e. Justice B.A Njemanze ) delivered on the 24th day of February, 2012 is set aside. I make no order as to costs”.
After the victory in the Court of Appeal, one would have expected Governor Okorocha to bow to the rule of law to reinstate EZE Ilomuanya to take back his office as Chairman ,Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers. But this did not happen.
On another occasion, HRH Eze Samuel Ohiri, who is Governor Okorocha’s appointee as Chairman of Imo Traditional Rulers Council, filed a suit in an Owerri High Court in Suit NO .HOW/525/2013.This suit was presided over by H on Justice Ngozi Ukoha and EZE Samuel Ohiri was seeking to be declared Chairman of Imo Council of NDI-EZE .In a judgment delivered on May 26th, 2014, the court dismissed the suit and declared it as “frivolous, ans an abuse of court process, judicial impertinence and lacking in merit”.
Again on March 20,2013,His Lordship,Hon. Justice Paschal Nnadi in suit NO.HOW/103/2012 dismissed the resolution of Imo State House of Assembly that HRH EZE Cletus Ilomuanya was convicted in a criminal case bordering on Obtaining by Tricks(OBT) a.k.a 419 in a suit that took place in a court in Calabar High Court in the 1980s. The import of the Resolution by the Imo State of House of Assembly is that HRH EZE Ilomuanya is an ex-convict , a criminal who lacks the integrity to be a traditional ruler. The traducers of EZE Ilomuanya were not able to present any cogent evidence in court that any court in Calabar ever convicted HRH.EZE Ilomuanya of any case of 419(OBT). HRH EZE Ilomuanya later withdrew a suit of libel in the sum of N1 Billion as a result of overtures made to him by some of his traducers.
Perhaps, it is pertinent to state that shortly after he was inaugurated Governor on MAY 29th, 2011, Governor Okorocha set up a ‘Task Force Committee on the Recovery of Government Property”. This Committee invaded the residence of HRH Eze Ilomuanya and carted away some valuable items of property in his residential premises. Dissatisfied with this invasion of his privacy, HRH EZE Ilomuanya went to the Federal High Court, Owerri, to seek judicial mediation and pronouncement on the unlawful m invasion of his private residence. Delivering Judgment in the suit NO.FHC/OW/238/2011 on November 29TH,2012,HON Justice F.Olubanjo ordered Governor Okorocha and his group who invaded EZE Ilomuanya’s Palace Extension in Owerri on August 5th,2011, to pay N10 million for unlawfully invading the Palace Extension of EZE Ilomuanya in Owerri. As you read this report, the Imo State Government has not paid the N10 million to HRH Eze Ilomuanya and no court has quashed that order of court.
THE FINAL DETHRONEMENT: In spite of the fact that there are at least two pending suits on this issue, Governor Okorocha went ahead to finally dethrone HRH EZE Ilomuanya and inaugurated one Stanley Anazionwu Nwagwu as the brand new Royal Father for Obinugwu Autonomous Community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State. This controversial installation of EZE Stanley NWAGWU took place on Tuesday, August 19,2014.Tongues are wagging that the newly installed EZE of Obinugwu Autonomous Community, EZE Stanley Nwagwu, is not even an indigene of Obinugwu Autonomous Community. They say he is a stranger in the Community and that it is an abomination for such a person to be inaugurated the EZE of Obinugwu. Grape vine reports say that he is a native of Ndiuche Okoro Aniche in Arondizuogu Community in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State- a Local Government Area in the Federal Constituency OF Governor Okorocha. Governor Okorocha hails from Ideato Federal Constituency, precisely from OGBOKO Community in Ideato South Local Government Area. Ideato Federal Constituency is composed of Ideato North and Ideato South LGAs.
It is also pertinent to add that prior to his dethronement HRH EZE Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya,CON was also the Chairman of both Imo State and South East Councils of Traditional Rulers. Meanwhile , EZE Ilomuanya has urged his people to remain calm and maintain decorum in spite of the ongoing provocation.
After the victory in the Court of Appeal, one would have expected Governor Okorocha to bow to the rule of law to reinstate EZE Ilomuanya to take back his office as Chairman ,Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers. But this did not happen. Shortly after this decision by the Court, HRH Cletus Ilomuanya thought there was a need to take some action in order to reap the fruit of his series of court victories on his Chairmanship stool. It is provocative that in spite of the declaratory judgment of the Court of Appeal ordering the reinstatement of EZE Ilomuanya to his office, Governor Okorocha remained recalcitrant as he still shut him out of office and treated both EZE Ilomuanya and the Court with contempt and disdain. It was at this point that EZE Ilomuanya took steps to domesticate the order of court. About a month ago, ge moved under cover of members of the Nigerian Police and the members of the Security Services and took over the secretariat of Imo Council of Traditional Rulers. The task was accomplished in a jiffy. He was escorted to the Secretariat by eminent personalities including the Leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Biafra(MASSOB),Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.
Provoked by the apparent use of self help to capture the Secretariat, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Tony Anwuka, issued a press release to the effect that Governor Okorocha had dethroned EZE Ilomuanya as the traditional ruler of Obinugwu Autonomous Community. The press release was repeated incessantly on the channels of Imo State Government Radio and Television channels to the consternation of a cross section of the citizenry. It is also pertinent to recall that EZE Cletus Ilomuanya celebrated his 2014 New Yam Festival a few weeks ago and the occasion was graced by eminent personalities including the President who was represented by the Minister of Labour, Chief WOGU.Many traditional rulers from across the nation were also represented in the Ilomuanya IRIJI ceremony.Eze Ilomuanya’s 2014 Iriji ceremony will be reported soon.
JOHN MGBE
