It was near fisticuffs, pandemonium and cataclysm in most of the headquarters of the 27 LGAs of Imo state, last Wednesday, June 18, 2019, when the newly appointed Transitional Committee Chairmen, arrived to take over the saddle from those who though purportedly elected Chairmen and Councilors, were suspended from office by Governor Emeka Ihedioha.
Most of the council headquarters visited saw the elected Chairmen and Councilors sitting tight in their offices and daring the Governor, his agents and appointees, to chase them out.
However,at the tripartite council areas of Ahiazu, Aboh and Ezinihitte Mbaise, none of the elected Chairmen and Councilors showed up at the council headquarters.
The situation was the same at Ideato North, where the female executive Chairperson carefully avoided the attendant controversies by staying away. Her counterpart at Ideato South however challenged those coming to take over from him to a fiasco. The entire headquarters were engulfed in verbal war of words among the contenders.
Elsewhere, the story was exactly the same except at Orlu LGA headquarters where the Executive Chairman and his Councilors, met briefly early in the morning before they disappeared into oblivion. They however ordered the Secretary to the LGA (SECLOG) never to release the keys to their offices to any one.
Those affected have cited a favourable judgment obtained lately from a court of competent jurisdiction restraining the Governor, his agents, privies or representatives from interfering with their functions and official responsibilities but haven’t made public a copy of the said judgement of injuction.
At press time however, they were unable to make the court restraining order, the name of the court and judge who gave it, public.
Meanwhile while the stalemate lasts, staff of most of the LGAs joined the PDP supporters in the areas, who are interested members of the imbroglio, in booing the elected Chairmen, who insisted on staying in office against the suspension order.
