Confusion has overtaken the political atmosphere of Imo state, over the demolition of the Akachi tower, built by the immediate past governor, Rochas Okorocha, along Akachi road in Owerri.
However, security agents have taken over the location of the Akachi tower thereby stopping the demolition.
While an eyewitness told our source that the demolition was carried out by the agents of the new government of Emeka Ihedioha, others were of the view that the land on which the Akachi tower was built was forcefully collected from the original owners who on their own decided to carry out the demolition.
According to one Onyenso, “We saw some people last night they were in two Hilux vehicles and some security people. They came and moved around the tower and later drove off.
“Just this afternoon, as we are working on our site, we saw a group of people they came with a caterpillar, and they ordered the man in the caterpillar to start pulling down the Akachi tower.
“They were shouting a new government has emerged and we are taking what belongs to us nobody can stop us. There is a new government, old things shall pass away and give way for a new thing.”
A source who did not want his name mentioned said,
“Let me tell you the truth my brother, I think you are a journalist, this land is not a government land it belongs to some people.
“But what I am seeing here today is like some people are angry they want to take laws into their hand. With the way this thing has started anything can happen at anytime. The government must be guided and be careful of those using their name to take actions. This is taking a very bad shape whether you like it or not.”
Source
Vanguard
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been conferred the award of Grande Chancellor of Imo State.
Professor Osinbajo was conferred the honour at the Imo Merit Award ceremony which held in the state on Friday, May 17.
At the ceremony, Governor Rochas Okorocha who was the chief host, said the Vice President was being honored for his selfless services to the Nigerian people.
He urged young Nigerians to study and follow the footsteps of the Vice President who he described as a humble man with numerous achievements beneath his belt.
The Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, has emerged the Imo State governor-elect. He polled 273,404 votes to defeat 69 other candidates including his closest rival, Uche Nwosu of Action Alliance who scored 190,364 votes.
Announcing the results at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Owerri at exactly 10.08 pm on Monday, the state returning officer, Prof. Francis Otunta, said the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, polled 114,676 followed by the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who scored 96,458 votes.
The Accord Party candidate, Ikedi Ohakim secured 6,864 votes.
He said,
“We have been working since Saturday to elect a credible governor for Imo State. The total registered voters is 2,221,008; Accredited voters is 823,743.
“The total votes cast is 714,35; rejected votes 25,130; total valid votes is 739,485.”
Declaring Ihedioha the winner of the polls, the returning officer said, “I, Francis Otunta, hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the Imo state elections. That the election was contested and the candidates received the following votes.
According to the new elected Imo state new elected governor cousin brother "Ezeugomoh" The CEO, New Monument Concept who is also one of imo state multi talented singer, reacted to the outcome of the gubernatorial election in Imo state with massive post on the social media
According to the The CEO, New Monument Concept, Ezeugomoh, congratulations are in order to the new governor-elect, Emeka Ihedioha as Imo has been liberated.
Wrote on the Twitter: "I Don't want any position in my state government, I just want to be (Nwanne Governor)"
According to an interview asking him why he did all his things alone during the campaign, he said:
"Why I did a one man campaign with my own social media platform is because he is my brother he doesn't need to beg for it or even pay for it, I don't need to attend to his meetings because I'm not an outsider I started supporting him with my little money since I know him and I'm happy he made me proud in 2019 governorship election being his brother is enough for me let other Zone enjoy his Government I'm son of the soil and I want the best for my state "IMO State"
The Governorship candidate of Imo State chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, said on Monday in Lagos that President Muhammadu Buhari is not antagonistic against elected on the platform of other political parties who had keyed into his vision to transform the country.
Ararume who stated this while addressing newsmen in Ikeja area of the state noted that the fact that anyone emerged a governor from other political platforms apart from the All Progressives Congress does not affect the fortune of the state had been demonstrated in the cordial relationship between President Buhari and the governors of Anambra State, Willie Obiano and David Umahi whose programmes are aimed at boosting economic prosperity of the country.
He explained that the attraction for him to contest and become the next governor of the state is because a lot of things are not in proper shape and, saying becoming governor of the state would not add value to him financially or otherwise, but the people of Imo that he had resolved to serve to the best of his ability.
The governorship candidate pointedly identified the infrastructural decay in the state currently, saying roads in Imo State were in very poor condition, while education, health, security sectors, among others were poorly serviced, with the state ranking 34th position in the country on the ease of doing business in spite of being properly positioned as the largest oil producer in the eastern part of Nigeria.
According to Ararume, Imo State currently does not have a functional general hospital, saying that not only was the education not free, but the content was also zero as the teachers’ quality impacting the knowledge was nothing to write home about.
“If you go to Imo, all of those things that make me to want to serve, none of them has been addressed. The attraction for me to become the governor is that things are not in proper shape in Imo State, nobody has seriously dealt with the challenges Imo state has.
“The quality of education has not improved, they may say education is free but it is not free,” Ararume said, lamenting the quality of some of the teachers, who he stated could not give to their students what they didn’t have.
“Look at road infrastructure. You can’t ride a kilometer in Imo smoothly and that’s why the governor said rains in Imo is acidic. I don’t know whether rains falling in Lagos is anything different from one falling in Imo,” he said, just as he noted the absence of any known construction giants in the state like those present in Lagos.
The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the national legal adviser, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Barrister Babatunde Ogala respectively, have been warned against the huge legal implications of the planned fresh congresses in the Imo State chapter, which is scheduled to start this Friday.
In a letter addressed to the party’s national chairman by K. C. Nwufo (SAN) on behalf of APC’s stakeholders in the state, he warned that it would be "contentious of the court for any congress to be held in Imo State, let alone appointing any caretaker committee during the pendency of a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction pending the determination of the appeal against the judgement in suit no. FHC/OW/CS/69/2018.’’Relaying on the judgement of the Federal High Court, sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, dated July 6, 2018, which ordered fresh congresses in Imo State chapter of the party, the national secretariat of APC had scheduled to commence the congress tomorrow.
But informing the party of the pendency of appeal against the judgement, Barrister Nwufo (SAN) informed the national leadership of APC that it is a settled matter by the Supreme Court that
"after the defendant has been notified of the pendency of a matter seeking an injunction, even though a temporary injunction be not granted, he acts at his peril and subject to the power of court to restore the status wholly irrespective of the merits as they may be ultimately decided.’’
The senior lawyer further explained that once a suit seeking an injunction is pending in court, anybody who acts contrary to it is doing so at his own peril, as he is liable to be committed to prison for contempt of court.
"Since we believe that we are in a democratic dispensation, we shall allow the rule of law to prevail. For the rule of law to prevail, we must not take the laws into our hands’’, the SAN warned.
"In a civilized society, such as Nigeria, once a matter is pending before a court, parties should stay further extra-judicial actions and allow the sacred wisdom that flows from the temple of justice to guide their conducts.’’
Similarly, in a letter dated July 18, 2018 by a law firm, Ahmed Raji & Co on behalf of the Imo State Chairman of APC, Chief Hilary Eke, the national chairman of the party was also informed of the pending appeals and motion for stay of execution in the same suit.
The letter signed by Ahmed Raji (SAN) on behalf of the law firm, averred that in the recent congresses of APC in Imo State, Chief Eke and those he represents were elected as party officers in different capacities at the local government areas and state levels.
He added,
“The said election was recognised and accepted by the party. However, certain aggrieved members of the party instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Owerri Judicial Division (suit No. FHC/OW/CS/69/2018) to challenge the election, on the primary ground that it was inconclusive.’’
The SAN further argued that while the court agreed with the plaintiffs, Chief Eke and other officers of the state chapter of APC, had lodged an appeal to the Court of Appeal in a bid to challenge the judgement of the Federal High Court.
He added that a motion for stay of execution of the said judgement was also filed to ensure parties remain at status quo, pending the determination of the appeal, and until the motion for stay of execution.
On his part, the immediate National Organising Secretary of APC, Senator Osita Izunaso through his lawyer, Chief Soronnadi A. Njoku, in a letter dated July 17, 2018, also informed the National Legal Adviser of the party about the pendency of motion for injunction pending appeal in the same suit.
He equally advised the party to respect the judicial process by not taking any step whatsoever in respect of the subject matter of the said suit until the matter is fully and final resolved by the court.
Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo on Instagram shared a photo his campaign poster for his 2019 House of Representative’s seat ambition.
The actor declared his intention to run last month where he said he intends to represent Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency in Imo State under the aegis of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
The ECOWAS Court has asked the Nigerian government and the Imo state government to pay N100.09 million as special damages to a family whose property was demolished four years ago in Imo State.
The property was demolished under a 2009 Imo state law. The law allowed the government to pull down any property linked to anyone accused to be involved in kidnapping activities in the state.
It was adopted as part measures to curb the menace of kidnapping in the state.
In suit number ECW/CCJ/APP/13/14, Damian Onwuham and 22 others alleged the violations of their rights to fair hearing and effective investigation; right to presumption of innocence; right to property and right to dignity of the human person as guaranteed in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
They also accused the Imo state government of failing to carry out an impartial and effective investigation on the owners of the properties.
They described the continuous detention of the suspects as unlawful, as none of the applicants nor the suspected kidnapper has so far been charged to court.
They demanded N50 million as general damages; N100.09 million as special damages for the reconstruction and furnishing of the demolished buildings, and exemplary damages N500 million.
The federal government is the first defendant in the case while the Imo government is second defendant.
But, the court in its judgment delivered on Tuesday said the April 12, 2014 demolition of the property was not only illegal, but also unlawful.
Also, the court described the allegation of Mr Onwuham’s involvement in kidnapping as unsubstantiated, while the demolition of the property on account of an allegation of the offence of kidnapping without trial was a violation of Articles 7 and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Details of the award were contained in a statement from the court sent to Colossus Gists on Thursday.
The statement said the award represented the total cost of the buildings and other household items destroyed by agents of the Imo State government during the demolition exercise.
They include one unit of bungalow of 15 bedrooms and two sitting rooms, along with another bungalow of seven bedrooms and a sitting room and a third bungalow of six bedrooms and a sitting room.
The Court also awarded additional N20 million to the family as general damages for the violation of the Mr Onwuham’s fundamental rights to fair hearing, human dignity and right to property, although the family’s claims for exemplary damages were rejected.
A three-member panel of the court presided by Justice Friday Nwoke also directed the government to investigate the circumstances that surrounded the disappearance of Mr Onwuham’s son, Obinna.
The other members of the panel included Justices Yaya Boiro and Alioune Sall.
Where an offence was found to have been committed by those behind Obinna’s disappearance, the court asked for the prosecution of the culprits.
Obinna, the alleged kidnapper, was allegedly handcuffed and taken away from the family home on December 19, 2012 by members of ‘Operation Rescue Imo’, a state security outfit comprising of policemen, soldiers, members of the State Security Service and the Civil Defence Corps.
Although the court acknowledged the ‘devastating effect’ of kidnapping on the economy and safety of citizens of any state confronted with the menace, which justifies the ‘drastic measures,’ it held that such ‘measures have to be within the confines of the law.
This, the court noted, would have regard to what is fair and just and in the circumstance avoid acts that tend to violate the right of others.
“It appears the anti-kidnapping law of the defendant, if it exits, prescribes punishment without recourse to trial by an independent tribunal, which is inconsistent with international best practices that provides for trial by a Court or Tribunal for any offence created by law as well as against ‘all known human rights norms for punishment to be imposed on a suspect without the necessity of a trial,” the panel said
“Such a law is punitive, obnoxious and indeed an exhibition of the highest point of impunity. If allowed under any guise, then all of us are endangered species,” the panel added.
The panel also criticised the demolition of the property based on the State anti-kidnapping law as a form of collective punishment that is neither consistent with international law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, nor Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
In its defence, the federal government denied knowledge of the alleged actions and attached a document signifying that the security initiative – “Operation Rescue Imo” was an initiative of the Imo State government.
A Federal High Court in Owerri on Thursday ordered the All Progressives Congress party to hold fresh congresses after nullifying wards, Local Government Areas and state congresses of the Imo State chapter of the party.
The presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa, in a judgment that lasted for one hour, ordered APC “to be responsible, save our democracy by conducting free and fair congresses in Imo State.”
The judge who dismissed a motion filed by the defendants insisted that his court had jurisdiction to hear the matter.
He said that the exhibits tendered by the plaintiffs suggesting that there was no ward congress in the state on May 5, “was factual.”
Allagoa also said that the recorded “press interview between the state commissioner of police, the state governor, Rochas Okorocha and Senator Osita Izunaso that there was no APC ward congress in Imo State on May 5 “was justiciable in law.”
The Judge also cited a report of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which confirmed that there was no APC ward congress in Imo State on May 5.
The judge said, “APC should go and be responsible and save our democracy. The defendants and the plaintiffs are members of the same political party, APC. There is no victor, no vanquished.”
The plaintiffs, who are a fraction of the party loyal to the state governor, had approached the court seeking, among other things, a “declaration that the ward congress of the APC in Imo State which was fixed for May 5 was inconclusive and did not hold since there was no result therefrom.”
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