I am still the Obi Of Obinugwu - Eze Ilomuanya debunks media reports of his dethronement

In response to the paid advertorial sponsored by All Progressives Congress, APC, Imo State Chapter and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Hilary Eke which was published in the Daily Sun of Friday, August 15, 2014, His Royal Highness Eze (Dr) Cletus. I. Ilomuanya has through his solicitors denied his alleged dethronement as the Obi of Obinugwu Community in Imo State. He also described as “contrived falsehood” the statement that he was found guilty of criminal offences by a High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State. A letter dated November 10, 2015 and addressed to the Editor, Daily Sun by Law Bond Solicitors on behalf of the royal father, reads in part:

“That he is the Obi of Obinugwu Autonomous Community in Imo State, a hallowed position he has occupied since 1996. That he was also appointed to a defined term of office as the Chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers under the Imo State of Nigeria Traditional Rulers and Autonomous Communities Law No.6 of 2006 (as amended).”
“That his aforesaid offices were unscrupulously terminated without just cause or due process of law by the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha upon his assumption of office as the state governor in 2011, an illegality our client successfully challenged up to the Supreme Court.
“That in a bid to give vent or offer some semblance of explanation to his illegal desecration of our client’s office, the state governor acting through aides and cronies embarked on a calculated campaign of calumny to ruin our client’s hard-earned public image and reputation by wrongfully depicting him as a criminal and an ex-convict, who has suffered judicial retribution at some point in his life.
“That in a bid to offer validity to their campaign, the All Progressives Congress in Imo State, acting through its Chairman, Dr Hillary Ekeh, published and caused to be published gravely defamatory materials and documents which include a forged judgment extract purportedly showing that our client was convicted by a High Court of Cross River State holden before Hon. Justice U. J. Udofia on the 13th day of August 1990….
“That the events published in the aforesaid paper were not only contrived falsehoods, but our investigations have shown that our client did not commit the purported offence, was never arraigned and not to talk of being convicted by the said High Court or any High Court in Nigeria or elsewhere for any criminal offence whatsoever….”

Culled from : SUNNEWSONLINE