Justice Jude Obiora of the Awka Judicial Division holden at Awka (vacation Court 1) had on 5th of August, 2026, handed down an order stopping any election for purposes of selecting a traditional ruler of Nsugbe community pending the determination of the substantive case on the matter.
By Boniface Okechukwu
Contrary to insinuations, it was an order of a High Court of Anambra state that stopped the election for selection of a traditional ruler for Nsugbe community, Anambra -East LGA of Anambra, and, not the lawmaker representing Anambra North Senatorial District, Senator Tony Nwoye.
In a news report credited to Chairman of a Caretaker Committee set up to oversea the affairs of Nsugbe community by the Anambra state government, Mr. Sunday Attah, the latter had blamed the Senator who is incidentally an indigene of the community for leading a group of people to the venue of the traditional ruler selection on Saturday.
Attah had claimed that no Court ordered had stopped his committee from conducting the Igweship selection election, and, appealed to Senator Tony Nwoye to allow peace reign.
But contrary to Attah’s claims, Hon. Justice Jude Obiora of the Awka Judicial Division holden at Awka (vacation Court 1) had on 5th of August, 2026, handed down an order stopping any election for purposes of selecting a traditional ruler of Nsugbe community pending the determination of the substantive case on the matter.
Justice Obiora gave the order in a motion No. OT/1192m/2026 dated 8th July, 2026, and filed the same day in the Court together with affidavit in support deposed to by one of the plaintiff in suit No. OT/237/2026, Chukwuma Omenyi.
Besides Chukwuma Omenyi other parties named as plaintiffs/Applicants were Okechukwu Arizona Dibua, Uchechukwu Emmanuel Nwalunor, Obichukwu Nwokike, and, Igwebuike Ado, while the defendants/respondents included Eugene Ado, Sunday Ado, Sunday Nwoye, Tony Tagbo, Igweze Chinweze, Ikechukwu Nwalunor and Dr. Emeka Ezeazu.
Others further named as Defendants/Respondents were Kingsley Mokwe, Obi Christian Ebochie, John Obiora, Felix Okonkwo, Nnamdi Okeke ( as President- general of Nsugbe Development Union), Incorporated Trustees of Nsugbe Development Union, Nsugbe, Sir Amarachi Franklin Okeke and Nzekwesi John Nweke.
Except the Ist Plaintiff/Applicant, Chukwuma Omenyi the rest Plaintiffs/Applicants filed the Court action on behalf of themselves and on behalf of the Nsugbe Electoral Committee for selection of Igwe Nsugbe.
Justice Obiora handed down the order stopping the Igweship election selection after hearing the arguments and submissions of the lawyers to all the parties in the suit, including Chukwudi Obieze (SAN) with Chief M. I. Anah, I. D. Obieze, and, O. I. Obieze for the Plaintiffs/Applicants, as well as, Amarachi P. Nwoye for the 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th Respondents, M. C. Udechukwu, C. S. Chinedu, for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th and 11th Defendants/Respondents.
Other lawyers were Chris Nweke for the 12th and 13th Defendants/Respondents while C. C. Ofoegbunam appeared for the 14th Defendant/Respondent, and, I. I. Orji represented the 15th Defendant/.
Respondent
In the ruling Justice Obiora ordered that although the Court refused granting the Plaintiffs/Applicants’ prayer for interlocutory injunction “in the broad terms in which it is framed”, the Court however granted the prayer to the “limited extent set out in the preservative orders.
Consequently, Justice Obiora made an order that “for the purpose of preserving the subject matter of the substantive suit, all parties shall maintain the status quo existing as at 8th July, 2026, being the date on which the substantive suit was filed, pending its amicable or judicial determination “.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Justice Obiora explained that the status quo to be maintained as ordered means that “no party, whether by himself, his agents, servants, privies, or any person acting on his authority or any entity howsoever described, shall organise, conduct, supervise, conclude or give effect to any election or selection of the next Igwe of Nsugbe from Ivite Quarter on Saturday the 8th day of August, 2026, and, pending the determination of this suit”.
Further orders made by the judge included that “in the course of the ventilation of the parties’ grievances in the matter , time shall not begin to run and shall not run against the Ivite Quarter, Nsugbe, to produce the next Igwe Nsugbe; and the right of Ivite Nsugbe shall not rotate to the next quarter in Nsugbe until this matter is amicably or judicially resolved”.
“This order is made without prejudice to the determination at the trial of the authenticity, validity and proper interpretation of the rival constitutional document and the period, if any prescribed therein “, Justice Obiora, however, ordered.
He also made further ordered for the substantive suit to be accorded utmost accelerated hearing, and, also for all the parties to complete all outstanding processes within the time prescribed by the rules of Court, and, that the matter should be set down for hearing on the earliest available date.
Meanwhile, based on the Justice Obiora’s orders the Secretary-general of Nsugbe Development Union (National), Dr. Benedict I. Uzoechina had the following day, 6th of August, 2026 written a letter to the State Director of State Service (DSS) titled -Re: Forwarding of Enrollment Court Order and Request for Compliance” acknowledged as received by the agency on 7th of August, 2026, urging the agency to enforce compliance to the order of the Court to avoid any breach of peace in the community.
“This letter serves to formerly notify your office of the said (Justice Obiora’s Court) Order and to emphasis its binding legal effect”, the Nsugbe town union leadership scribe’s letter read partly.
The Secretary-general pleaded with the state DSS to deploy necessary action to make sure that the orders of the Court were obeyed to the letter.
But, Attah rather claimed that because the Anambra State government nor his caretaker committee as constituted by the state government was not a party to the suit on which the Justice Obiora’s orders were based on the Court orders did not restrain his committee from conducting the Igweship selection election.
He further exonerated the Anambra state Attorney -general of Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke from having any hand in his committee’s election processes for the Nsugbe Igweship selection.