GIST BY EBONYIDAILY.COM.NG


An Owerri High Court will today decide whether to vacate the order which stopped the Chief Judge of Imo State, Mr. Paschal Nnadi, from inaugurating Imo State Head of Service, Mr. Callistus Ekenze as the new deputy governor or not.


Ekenze was cleared by the Imo State House of Assembly to replace the embattled deputy governor, Prince Eze Madumere, who was impeached by the house on Monday, July 30.

But Madumere had, through his counsel, Ken Njemanze, SAN, filed a suit against the action, asking the court to put on hold the inauguration of Ekenze pending the determination of his suit.

At the resumed hearing of the suit last Monday, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Militus Nlemadim, had told the presiding judge, Justice Benjamin Iheaka, that he had filed necessary processes to enable the court hear his application for motion to vacate the ex parte order stopping Ekenze’s swearing in.

He contended that by law, the order which was issued in July would have been vacated because it was not a perpetual order.

But counsel to the impeached deputy governor, Ken Njemanze, SAN, told the court that he needed time to go through the papers, having been served 72 hours before the court sitting.

Before then, Njemanze had contended that the four members of the impeachment panel, whom the court ordered to be served by substituted service, required the lawful time to reply to the application.

Iheaka then adjourned the case to September 3, while imploring that all parties to the suit be properly served.