FORMER Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro has narrated how a non-existent court order prevented him from contesting in the just concluded Ohanaeze Ndigbo election in Enugu.
Mike Okiro an aspirant for the post of President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt explained that the false court order was said to have been issued at the Enugu High Court.
He said the non-existent court order peddled in some sections of the media was what the Election Screening Committee relied on to bar him from screening and subsequent non-participation.
According to the former IGP ” In the evening of Tuesday 7th January 2025 my attention was drawn to a media news where it was said that I was barred from the election into the post of President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo by a Court Order issued at Enugu High Court. I engaged my lawyer to obtain a copy of the order/process and proceed to vacate the said order. By the close of work on Wednesday 8th January, 2025, the lawyer did not succeed due to a shortage of time”.
He added that ” On Thursday 9th January, 2025 I had to address the press to say that I was stepping aside in compliance with the court injunction to encourage Nigerians to be law abiding and obey constituted authorities viz-a-viz the Courts. Later in the day I went for screening based on the fact that my lawyer was still struggling to set aside the order, that if he succeeds by Friday 10th January, 2025 I would take part in the election. The panel refused to screen me basing their decision on the said Court Order. I submitted two copies of my press conference to the screening committee and left the premises”.
The Retired Police boss said when his lawyer eventually obtained the Court proceedings after the election had been concluded, it was discovered that there was no court order barring him from the election as propagated.
He said Justice N.R Orji only granted a Leave to the Applicants to serve the Respondents, adding that he felt disappointed that the said Court Order he obeyed was a hoax.
“Okiro observed that “By the close of work on Friday 10th January, 2025 my lawyer was able to obtain the court proceedings while the election had been concluded without me. There was no court order at all in the court proceedings. No court order barring me from the election. What the media showed the world was false, deceitful and misleading and I fell into it because I am law abiding.
“The fact as contained in the court process which my lawyer obtained from the High Court of Enugu State of Nigeria presided over by Honourable Justice N.R Orji are: Comrade Chimenu Amadi filed a suit seeking the order of the court to bar me from the screening and from the election as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The Respondents were Ohanaeze Ndigbo and five others including me. The lawyer was seeking for a court order in Motion Ex-parte dated and filed on Monday 6th January, 2025.
“On Tuesday 7th January, 2025 the Court sat and granted Leave to the Applicants to serve the Respondents. Two days were given the Applicants between service hearing of the Motion on Notice by the Court.
“The Motion was fixed for hearing on Friday 10th January, 2025. My concern has been that Orders are Orders, especially coming from constituted authority and must be obeyed no matter the consequences. I did not know that the court order I saw in the press was a hoax; I obeyed and missed the election. The screening committee also denied me screening process based on the said Court order”.
While calling on the Police to activate Section 125(A) of the Criminal Code Laws and deal with the Criminal issue of false information, the former IGP charged the Nigeria Bar Association to discipline the lawyer for trading false information from a court aimed at misleading Nigerians and diminishing the credibility of the Judiciary.
Okiro however congratulated Senator John Mbata on his emergence as President-General Ohanaeze Ndigbo and pledged his unalloyed support for the progress and advancement of Ndigbo worldwide.