A social 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 sitting in Awka 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 were 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.
Okonkwo’s position is 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.
In the court, the plaintiff sought 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.
The plaintiff equally asked for an order, directing the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th defendant to publish before the Court, the FAAC Allocation to the respective 21 local government areas in Anambra State from 2006 to 2024.
In addition, he asked the court to order the 1st respondent (the Federal Republic of Nigeria) to put into effect the unanimously passed resolution of the Senate, asking the federal government to halt the statutory allocation of funds to local government area councils, where chairmen and councilors were not democratically elected.
Okonkwo demanded for exemplary damages of N100 billion in his favour, against the 2nd to 8th defendants.
LG Administration Anambra: Activist Drags Soludo, Obi, 2 Other Ex-Governors To Court
