Trouble!! 40 Royal Fathers Drag Governor Okorocha To Court

Tension is brewing across the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State, following the resolve of 40 traditional rulers to resist the attempt by Governor Rochas Okorocha to intimidate and suspend them for joining the former chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, to welcome former President Goodluck Jonathan to Imo State in March this year, when he (Jonathan) was still in office.

Eze Ilomuanya had, however, been restored to his position as Chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers by the Supreme Court.



Governor Okorocha had through Eze Samuel Ohiri, in contravention of several court judgments, set up a panel to investigate over 50 monarchs, accusing them of indulging in partisan politics, when they participated in the reception of the sitting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, during his official visit to Imo State.

Vanguard recalls that the state government had earlier suspended four monarchs, including the traditional ruler of Owerri, Eze Emmanuel Njemanze and went ahead to invite 50 others to face what it called “Fact Finding Panel”.

However, in a bid to assert their right and avert what they called ambush by Governor Okorocha’s administration, 40 monarchs have headed for an Owerri High Court, accusing Governor Okorocha of surreptitiously witch-hunting and intimidating Imo traditional rulers through the setting up of an illegitimate Council of Traditional Rulers headed by his stooge. 

They contended that the council headed by Ohiri was an unlawful and illegal body and thus, had no powers to function in any capacity, pointing out that even the purported Fact Finding Panel was itself an illegal and unlawful entity.

They vowed to resist the governor’s intimidation tactics, insisting that enough was enough.-