…Congratulates Senator Mbata
By Philip Ezuma, Port Harcourt
A front line aspirant in the just concluded Ohaneze Ndigbo elections and former Inspector General of Police IGP Sir Mike Okiro, has disclosed that reports of court order barring him from the recently concluded election of Ohaneze Ndigbo, was a hoax and urged the media to be wary of information fed the public.
The former IGP who spoke yesterday, during a media briefing in Port Harcourt, explained that, what the media fed the world with, was false, deceitful and misleading, regretting, he fell for it, because he is law abiding.
“In the evening of Tuesday 7th January, 2025, my attention was drawn to a media report which, 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 court 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 shortage of time. 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 c copies of my press conference to the screening committee and left the premises.
According to the former police boss, 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.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Ndigbo worldwide, my supporters, Nigerians, there was no court order at all in the court proceedings. N court order barring me from elections”, he submitted.
He said that, what the media showed the world was false, deceitful and misleading and he fell into it, because he’s law abiding, and vouched the fact as contained in the court process which his lawyer obtained from the High Court of Enugu State of Nigeria presided over by Honourable Justice N.R. Oji were as follows ;
“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.
“Some friends, well-wishers and even some enemies are deriding me for obeying the court order, an action which is not normal in Nigeria.
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 the court order I saw in the press was a hoax; I obeyed and missed the election. The screening committee also denied me the screening process based on the said court order.”
” I employ the police to utilize Section 125(A) of the Criminal Code Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and deal with the criminal issue of false informationbelieve”
“The Nigerian Bar Association should discipline the lawyer for trading false information from a court aimed at misleading Nigerians and diminishing the credibility of the Judiciary.”
“The Nigerian media should beware of the information they feed to the public. Nigerians themselves should be wary of what they read and believe.
” I want to congratulate Senator John Mbata on his election and pledge my unalloyed support for the progress and advancement of Ndigbo worldwide” ###.
