BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A high court sitting in Isiaka, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has ordered the swearing-in of Paul Okoro-Uchenna as the Chairman of Ameze Development Union in Ishiagu community.
The community had, since 2017, been enmeshed in crisis over the leadership of the mineral rich community resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
Okoro had prayed the court to declare him winner of the chairmanship election of the union in a suit filed by Okoro against Isaac Chukwu, the Caretaker Committee Chairman and the Electoral Committee Chairman of the Development Union.
Okoro, who emerged as the substantive chairman of the union was, however, not sworn-in until last week when the court, presided over by Justice Franklin Edem, ruled in his favour.
Justice Franklin Edem ruled that “The respondent is hereby mandated to inaugurate the applicant and other persons who won the election conducted by the Electoral Committee of Amaeze Development Union, as the substantive executives members of the Amaeze Development Union.
“The respondent is also mandated to hand over the affairs and items of the property of Amaeze Development Union under his custody as the caretaker chairman thereof to the applicant for the smooth management of the affairs of the said community.”
Counsel to Okoro, Chikadibia Elom, lauded the court for the ruling which, he said, ended the five-year-old-crisis in the community.
