By Okey Maduforo Awka.
The Onitsha South Local Government Council has dismissed the recent publication by one Chief Sabest Uzoeto, in which he called on the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to remove the Mayor of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Emeka Joseph Orji.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Secretary of Council, Mr. Paul Onuachala, the Council described Uzoeto’s publication as “a desperate outburst by a sinking man”, noting that his allegations against the Mayor and the Local Government were “baseless, misleading, and malicious.”
“The allegations made by Chief Sabest Uzoeto against the Onitsha South Local Government and its Mayor are entirely false and are hereby vehemently denied,”
“Chief Uzoeto is respectfully invited to strict proof of his allegations before a court of competent jurisdiction,” Mr. Onuachala added.
According to the Council, Chief Uzoeto’s claim of ownership over the disputed land had previously been lodged before the High Court of Onitsha, but was voluntarily withdrawn by Uzoeto himself.
Subsequently, he filed a petition before the Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Public Petitions, which was “robustly challenged” by the Onitsha South Local Government and its Mayor through an Originating Summons. The matter, the Council confirmed, is currently pending before the High Court awaiting judicial determination.
Mr. Onuachala further stated that the Council views Chief Uzoeto’s actions,shifting from one forum to another as evidence of desperation rather than lawful pursuit of justice.
“Onitsha South Local Government genuinely believes that Chief Uzoeto’s maneuvers, from the High Court to the State House of Assembly Committee, portray a pattern of manipulation and abuse of legal process,” Onuachala said.
“His current campaign of calumny, launched with little or no regard for the sub judice nature of the pending matter, clearly reveals a desperate attempt to mislead and deceive unsuspecting members of the public,” he added.
