How Ikpeazu Shops For Court Order To Stop Abia Panel On Recovery Of Govt Properties

• Gov. Otti Orders Evacuation, Seal-Off Of Collapsed Shopping Centre Building In Aba

Apparently rattled by the establishment of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties and Funds belonging to Abia State, the immediate past Governor of the State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has gone shopping for a court order to stop the work of the panel.

Unfortunately for Ikpeazu, every effort to surreptitiously obtain an order of the court against the panel has failed.

Twice, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Governor had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for ex parte order to restrain the Judicial Panel, from doing its work, but on the two occasions the courts rebuffed him.

In a statement from Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the two attempts were rejected because he failed to put the state government on notice as directed by the courts.

A source conversant with details of the two futile moves by Ikpeazu puts it in proper perspective:

“Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the immediate past Governor of Abia State, had instituted Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/907/2023 DR. OKEZIE IKPEAZU & 3 ORS VS GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE & 8 ORS in the Abuja division of the Federal High Court and same was assigned to his Lordship Hon. Justice Omotosho J.

“In that suit, Dr. Ikpeazu sought (by way of an Ex-Parte application) to secure an Ex-Parte order to restrain a Judicial Panel of Enquiry set up by the Government of Abia State to recover government properties and funds. His Lordship Hon. Justice Omotosho J. refused the Ex-Parte application insisting that the respondents be put on notice.

“He immediately withdrew the suit and filed a fresh one FHC/ABJ/CS/945/2023 Ikpeazu Vs INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE (IGP) & 8 ORS which was assigned to His Lordship Hon. Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who, also refused the Ex-Parte application to restrain the proceedings of the panel and gave the Claimant 2 (two) days to put the respondents on notice. He once again quickly withdrew the suit

“It is obvious that by withdrawing both suits and also refusing to put the Abia State Government on notice as directed by the court, it is clear that this is a subterranean exercise and patent manifestation of bad faith and a desperate attempt to use the court as a shield for the alleged criminal activities of his administration in Abia State.”

We have it on good authority that Ikpeazu is shopping for another court that would possibly give him the order to stop the probe.

In another development, the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has also ordered the immediate evacuation and seal-off of the block of shops that collapsed Wednesday morning in Aba.

A stretch of building housing about 15 shops inside the Shopping Centre Market, Aba, Zone 13, broke apart and caved in as traders got ready for the day’s business.

Fortunately, there was no report of loss of lives or injury to traders and visitors to the market as those within promptly escaped when someone raised the alarm of unusual cracks on the walls of the building.

Governor Otti, who commiserated with traders whose shops were affected, described the tragic incident as unfortunate and avoidable, saying it was part of the rot of the past administration that the present government is trying to correct.

“Reports reaching me from traders in the market suggest that this tragic and unfortunate incident is as a result of greed by officials of the past administration.

“I understand that additional structures were erected on existing floors not minding the negative impact and structural defect such would have on the building.

“The consequence of that indiscretion is this avoidable tragedy of collapsed block of shops. We, however, thank God that there is no loss of life or injury to anyone,” Dr. Otti said.

The Governor said he had dispatched the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu and the Senior Special Assistant on Aba Rejuvenation, Mr. Uche Ukeje, for an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.

Meanwhile, Dr. Otti has ordered that an integrity test be conducted on all the other shops in the market to guard against a repeat of such an occurrence.