Ifeanyi Okonkwo
Anambra State based activist, Chief Ifeanyi Okonkwo has dragged the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo and three of his predecessors, Chris Ngige, Peter Obi and Willie Obniano to a Federal High court for allegedly running the affairs of the 21 local government areas in the state with unelected officials.
Okonkwo is praying the court to hold that by administering the councils through officials who are not democratically elected, Soludo and his predecessors have contravened both Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and a subsisting judgment of the same court, which he said declared that the Anambra State Government has no powers to appoint officials to govern the local government areas.
The plaintiff is claiming that having acted contrary to the Constitution which they swore to uphold, the defendants should be barred by the court from contesting election or occupying public office or seeking for re-election under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The suit with no FHC/AWK/CS/90/2024, was instituted through originating summons at the Federal High Court, Awka, but the court process sighted in Abuja by our Correspondent.
The plaintiff seeks nine consequential reliefs against the defendants premised on the interpretation of the previous judgment of the court in suit no. FHC/EN//CS/2005, delivered on September 26, 2006.
Listed as 1st to 8th defendants respectively in the latest matter are the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Governor of Anambra State, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State and Anambra State House of Assembly.
Others are former governors, Ngige, Obi, Obiano, for themselves and on behalf of their transition chairmen and councilors and Mr. Livinus Onyenwe for himself and on behalf of transition chairmen under the Soludo administration.
Other consequential reliefs sought by Okonkwo include an order to compel the 2nd to 8th defendants to render public account before the court, of all funds, illegally expended by them or agents and privies, during their respective administrations, while executing their illegal and unconstitutional usurpation of offices at the local government council areas in Anambra State, by tampering with public funds, excluding salaries and allowances of local government council employees and workers expenditure.
“An order directing that the defendants namely: Governor of Anambra State (2nd defendant), Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State (3rd defendant), Anambra State House of Assembly (4th defendant), breached the mandatory duty cast upon them in Sub section (4) of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and flagrantly violated a subsisting judgment on the matter.
