The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has commenced investigations into reports of alleged intimidation, harassment and flagrant disregard to court pronouncements and judgments levelled against the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.
This followed a petition written to the Commission by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, the Chairman, South-East Council of Traditional Rulers chronicling his alleged ordeal in the hands of Okorocha since the governor’s assumption of office in 2011.
The monarch in a news conference in Owerri, the Imo State capital, declared that Okorocha sacked him from office through his maiden radio broadcast to Imo people in 2011 while he was only 18 months into his tenure as the Chairman, Imo State council of traditional rulers.
Noting that Okorocha has not paid him a kobo of his allowance as a traditional ruler since over four years he assumed office, yet the governor had visited him with several incidents of massive brigandage compelling him to seek redress in court on more than seven occasions.
He regretted that even with the court ruling in his favour on all the issues he contested with the governor, Okorocha has refused to abide by any judgment of the court.
Consequent to this, the NHRC, Imo State office has written to Governor Okorocha about the issues raised by Ilomuanya in a letter dated June 29, 2015 and referenced: C/2015/3834/HQ(C/2015/IMS/15).
The letter reads in part: “We right to inform Your Excellency about the directive as well as request for your comments on the issues raised in the complaint.”
Meanwhile, the protracted battle for the chairmanship of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers has taken a new twist following the compliance of Eze Samuel Ohiri with an Order of a High Court in Owerri, to pay Eze Ilomuanya N20,000 cost plus the N1,500.00 he was fined as court fees for the Writ of Execution, for instituting a frivolous suit challenging Eze Ilomuanya’s Chairmanship of the Council which the Court of Appeal, Owerri had earlier resolved in favour of Eze Ilomuanya on July 5, 2013.
This move has been viewed in many quarters as tacit endorsement of HRH Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya as Chairman of the Council by the embattled Eze Samuel Ohiri.
Apparently not wishing to have any further confrontations with the law, Ohiri was said to have rushed to the High Court Registry on receipt of Judgment Form 41 and paid the Court ordered fees. Ohiri had sometime in 2014 instituted Suit No: HOW/525/2013 seeking the determination of the Court on who; between him and Eze Ilomuanya, is the lawful Chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers.
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