Reinstate Ilomunanya as Eze Imo, FG tells Okorocha

… APC chairman apologises for defamation

From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

Respite may have finally come the way of the embattled Obi of Obinugwu,Imo State,   Eze Cletus Ilomunanya as the Federal Government  has directed  the state Governor Rochas Okorocha to respect the Appeal Court judgment by reinstating him as the  chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers.

The directive from the Federal Government was contained in a letter  by the Attorney -General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Malami Abubakar (SAN) dated November 10, 2016.

According to the letter, with reference PEI/CRD/3276/1/177 said Governor Rochas Okorocha had been duly communicated via another letter signed by the Solicitor- General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Minister of Justice, Taiwo Abidogun.

The letter read: “I write to draw your Excellency’s attention to the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division in Appeal No: CA/OW/ 128/2012 delivered on July 5, 2013 and the Appeal Court’s ruling on the motion for stay of execution of Tuesday  May 13, 2014.

“I, hereby request your Excellency to be guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal by reversing the dissolution of the Imo  State Council of Traditional Rulers and to reinstate  Eze C.I Ilomunanya, as the council’s chairman.”

Obi of Obingwu, six years  ago,  filed a suit challenging  the Okorocha-led  administration over his unconstitutional removal as Eze Imo and  dissolution of the  state Council of Traditional Rulers, for which he got judgment both at the state High Court and the Appellate Court.

However, rather than obeyed courts’ judgments, the state governor had proceeded to depose him, but was quashed by the Supreme Court .

Meanwhile, Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Hilary Eke has written an unreserved apology letter to Eze Ilomunanya over some defamatory publications he made against him in some national news papers in 2014.

Eke was already facing  criminal charges before an Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court over the said defamatory publications.

In the apology letter by the APC chieftain which was endorsed by his lawyer, Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo  on February 26, 2017, he pleaded for forgiveness from the monarch.

“I, Dr Hilary Eke, state chairman (APC) Imo  State, do, hereby, sincerely apologise to Eze Cletus Ilomunanya on the articles published as advertorials on August 15, 2014 in two national dailies.

“These articles are false, malicious and contained defamatory and libellous information against the reputation and character of Eze I. Ilomunanya. The  publication was wrong and without any legal justification and I sincerely apologise to Eze Ilomunanya, the Obi of Obinugwu of Obinugwu Autonomous Community in Orlu Council of Imo State, and chairman of Imo  State and South East Council of Traditional Rulers.”

I, hereby, retract the entire advertorials as published and sincerely apologise to Dr. Cletus Ilomunanya, his wife and children for the untold hardship and disrepute this may have caused them.”

 

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