Legal Affairs
Anambra illegal caretaker committees: Court blatantly adjourns indefinitely judgement on issue of jurisdiction
The Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka, the state capital, has on March 4, 2025, adjourned indefinitely the judgement bordering on issue of jurisdiction.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) correspondent, who was live at the court on Tuesday, noted that the presiding judge, Judge Amina Mohammed, after hearing from both parties, adjourned the day of judgement indefinitely.
The judge told both the plaintiff and the respondents that she will communicate the date for the judgement to them.
It could be recalled that DDM reported that sources close to the Anambra State Government disclosed that there was palpable unease in Agu Awka, the seat of power prior to the March 4 hearing.
The suit involves the illegal caretaker committees instituted by past and present governments in the state.
Judge Mohammed of the Federal High Court had fixed March 4, 2025, for ruling on the motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to preside over the matter.
The motion is to enable Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and six others to properly file their defence in the suit filed against them by an activist, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, on behalf of himself.
DDM had earlier reported on May 3, 2024, that former governors of Anambra State, including Dr. Christopher Ngige, Mr. Peter Obi, Chief Williams Obiano and the current governor, Professor Soludo, are seemingly in neck-deep trouble.
The second to eight defendants respectively include:
- The Federal Republic of Nigeria,
- Governor of Anambra State,
- Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State,
- Anambra State House of Assembly,
- Former Governor Chris Ngige for himself and on behalf of their transition chairmen and councillors
- Former Governor Peter Obi for himself and on behalf of their transition chairmen and councillors
- Former Governor Willie Obiano for himself and on behalf of their transition chairmen and councillors, and,
- Mr Livinus Onyenwe for himself and on behalf of transition chairmen who served under the Soludo administration.
The trouble revolves around the appointment of caretaker committees without proper election as required in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
It also revolves around the allocation of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds to the 21 Local Government unelected councils in the state since 2003, beginning with the administration of Dr. Ngige.
For more details of the story, please read below:
Anambra illegal caretaker committees: unease in Awka as March 4 countdown tiks & toks
During the hearing on Tuesday, in an exclusive interview with the former governorship aspirant with DDM team in the programme “Governors Index”, Dr Okonkwo stated that the case was not initiated last year, rather, the last phase started last year.
Speaking during the interview, he said: “The responsibility of every citizen is not overly limited to voting.
“It also extends to making their selves available to other democrats rights.”
He added: “In the year 2006, I visited the Federal high Court to seek for protection of right to participate in the community government.
“The government of Anambra State failed to provide the necessary materials needed for governance and the reason for the court case is to initiate the African human right breech of agreement and the reason the Anambra state government failed to implement the 1999 constitution.”
Dr Okonkwo recalled that Justice Onube Anaba took the jurisdiction and delivered his case which awarded him the sum of five million Naira against the state government.
He acknowledged that the monetary award was executed even after an attempt to manoeuvre the judgement by the governors of the state.
Earlier, in January 2024, he filed a case against those using illegal caretakers in the FAAC allocations, stating that the caretakers appointed by the governors are illegal and do n0t possess such powers.
On March 4, the court rule that the case has been adjourned, and the date will be communicated accordingly.
Speaking to our correspondent, Dr Okonkwo added: “I’m positioned and confident to win the case, and the judgment will be a land sweep in the coming hearing”.
He used the opportunity to advised men of his constituency not to be politically apathetic, rather make themselves available in all arms of government.
He added that an ideal democracy is when the citizens’ rights are embedded in the rule of law which requires full participation and criticism.
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