By Eric Moore
RETIRED Inspector General of Police (IGP) and an aspirant in the just concluded President-General election of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Mike Okiro, has declared that there was no court order that stopped him from participating in the poll.
He made the disclosure when he briefed journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Sunday.
Okiro said he obeyed the purported order issued at Enugu High Court, as a law-abiding citizen, stressing that there was no area in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the order, where he was stopped from taking part in the exercise.
The former Police boss emphasized that his exclusion from the screening and election was based on a spurious court, and wondered where the lawyer and source of the order got the restraining court order.
Okiro explained: “In the evening of Tuesday, 7th January, 2025, my attention was drawn to a media news where it was said that I was barred from the election into the post of President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo by a court order issued at Enugu High Court.
“I engaged my lawyer to obtain a copy of the court order/process and proceed to vacate the said order.
“By the close of work on Wednesday, 8th January, 2025, the lawyer did not succeed due to shortage of time.”
According to him, he stepped aside from participation in compliance with the restraining order and to encourage Nigerians to obey court orders and respect constituted authorities.
Okiro continued: “On Thursday, 9th January, 2025, I had to address the press to say that I was stepping aside in compliance with the court injunction to encourage Nigerians to be law abiding and obey constituted authorities viz-a-viz the courts.
“Later in the day, I went for screening based on the fact that my lawyer was still struggling to set aside the order, that if he succeeds by Friday, 10th January, 2025, I would take part in the election.
“The panel refused to screen me basing their decision on the said court order.
“I submitted two copies of my press conference to the screening committee and left the premises.
By the close of work on Friday, 10th January, 2025, my lawyer was able to obtain the court proceedings while the election had been concluded without me.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Ndigbo worldwide, my supporters, Nigerians, there was no court order at all in the court proceedings. No court order barring me from the election.”
According to him, “What the media showed the world was false, deceitful and misleading and I fell into it because I am law abiding.
“The fact as contained in the court process which my lawyer obtained from the High Court of Enugu State of Nigeria presided over by Honourable Justice N.R. Oji are:
“Comrade Chimenu Amadi filed a suit seeking the order of the court to bar me from the screening and from the election as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“The respondents were Ohanaeze Ndigbo and five others including me. The lawyer was seeking for a court order in Motion Ex-parte dated and filed on Monday, 6th January, 2025.
“On Tuesday, 7th January, 2025, the court sat and granted leave to the applicants to serve the respondents. Two days were given the applicants between service and hearing the motion on Notice by the Court.”
Okiro, who showed the journalists the court proceeding, said the motion was fixed for hearing on Friday, 10th January, 2025.
He asked: “Where then is the so-called court order which appeared in the press on the 7th January, 2025, restraining me from screening and the election. And where did the media get their information?
He said: “Some friends, well-wishers and even some enemies are deriding me for obeying the court order, an action which is not normal in Nigeria. My concern has been that Orders are Orders, especially coming from constituted authority and must be obeyed no matter the consequences.
“I did not know the court order I saw in the press was a hoax; I obeyed and missed the election. The screening committee also denied me the screening process based on the said court order.
He enjoined his compatriots to keep faith in the legal and judicial system and punish miscreants behind the fake information.
Okiro directed his lawyer to pursue his fundamental right as enshrined in Chapter 4 of 1999 Nigeria Constitution (as amended).
Also, he has called on the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to discipline the lawyer for trading false information from a court aimed at misleading Nigerians and diminishing the credibility of the judiciary.
Again, he charged Nigerian media to beware of the information they feed to the public, stressing that Nigerians should be wary of what they read and believe.
He continued: “Information just got to me that a writer said that the South East governors compelled me to step down for Senator John Mbata. This is very far from the truth.
“Some wrote that I was at the venue of the election but was denied entry at the gate. This also is far from the truth, as I did not go to the venue of the election.
“I plead with my aggrieved supporters and right thinking Igbos to remain calm in the interest of our collective will and patriotism.”
Meanwhile, Okiro has congratulated Senator John Mbata on his election as the new President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and pledged unalloyed support for the progress and advancement of Ndigbo worldwide.