Sacked Imo councillors sue Ihedioha, others

• Group urges gov to give women adequate opportunity
• Okorocha chides Imo chief of staff

Suspended councillors of the 27 councils in Imo State have taken the governor, Emeka Ihedioha, to the Federal High Court, Owerri, to challenge their sack.

Also joined in the suit were the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Imo Commissioner for Justice and the House of Assembly speaker.

In the suit, FHC/CS/75/2019, the 604 former councillors sought an order restraining the defendants from terminating or abridging their tenure as elected legislators of the 27 councils in Imo or replacing them with transition committee members.

They also sought declaration of their suspension on June 3, 2019 by the House of Assembly as unlawful, null and void, considering that they were elected by their constituents and certificated by Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC).

Briefing newsmen in Owerri, yesterday, their leader, Godwin Nwankwo, said they were determined to resist the “recent illegality” by the Ihedioha administration.

Nwankwo said, “It is now unconstitutional in Nigeria for any governor or House of Assembly to dissolve or suspend duly-elected council executives. We are going to seriously oppose this illegality at any level.”

Ihedioha had said that his action was in conformity with the relevant laws and a means to sanitise the council administration in the state.

Meanwhile, Imo Gender Forum (IGF) has urged the governor to give women adequate opportunity to contribute to development and governance of the state.

The non-political women organisation made the point at a press conference in Owerri yesterday.

In another development, Okorocha has urged Ihedioha to sack his Chief of Staff (CoS), Chris Okewulonu, for asking him to shut up his mouth.

Okorocha, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser (Media), Sam Onwuemeodo, insisted that Okewulonu “lacked composure and discipline” to shut him up.

He added that such statement to a person of his calibre paints the CoS as one that was not properly brought up.