Former Inspector General of Police and aspirant in the recently concluded Ohanaeze Ndigbo election, Sir Mike Okiro, has debunked reports of a court order barring him from participating in the poll, describing them as false and misleading.
Okiro, speaking during a press briefing in Port Harcourt, expressed his disappointment with the media, urging caution in disseminating information to the public.
Okiro recounted how the alleged court order impacted his participation in the election, saying: “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. 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.”
Okiro further revealed, “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.
“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 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 to the applicants between service and hearing the motion on notice by the court. The motion was fixed for hearing on Friday 10th January, 2025.”
He lamented the consequences of relying on the false report: “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.”
Okiro called for accountability, urging relevant authorities to address the issue of false information. “I employ the police to utilize Section 125(A) of the Criminal Code Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and deal with the criminal issue of false information.
“The Nigerian Bar Association should discipline the lawyer for trading false information from a court aimed at misleading Nigerians and diminishing the credibility of the judiciary.
“The Nigerian media should beware of the information they feed to the public. Nigerians themselves should be wary of what they read and believe.”
Despite the setback, Okiro extended congratulations to Senator John Mbata, who emerged as President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, pledging his support for the advancement of the Igbo people.
“I want to congratulate Senator John Mbata on his election and pledge my unalloyed support for the progress and advancement of Ndigbo worldwide,” he added.
