Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has ordered Governor Hope Uzodinma to reinstate sacked chairmen and councillors of the 27 local government areas of the state sacked by ousted governor Emeka Ihedioha.
The state House of Assembly, upon Ihedioha’s directive, removed the council chairmen and councillors. The incumbent governor also upheld his predecessor’s policy.
The council chairmen and councillors were elected in 2018 during the administration of former governor Rochas Okorocha.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Tijani Rigime ordered the sacked council chairmen and councillors to return to office immediately.
He described the Interim Management Committee chairmen of the LGAs appointed by the state governor as “ghost workers.”
The judge ruled that the governor lacked the legal right to sack elected council chairmen, whose tenure is guaranteed by the constitution.
He ordered the seizure of the state’s council allocations until the governor obeyed the court judgment reinstating the sacked chairmen.