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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The crisis rocking Igbo Community in Cross River state has continued to fester as Calabar High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the community from orgainising cultural day in Calabar.
The Igbo Community in Calabar and has been enmeshed in leadership tussle since June 2022.
The crisis is a fall out of election held between June 16 and 30, 2022 leading to factionalisation of the leadership. While a faction is led by Kingsley Kalu, the other faction is led by Prince Raymond Atulomah both from Abia state.
Since the election, all moves to resolve the crisis failed leading to litigation by both parties to determine the authentic leadership of the association.
Atulomah had approached the Court asking that he be recognised as the authentic President of Igbo Community Calabar having contested unopposed and coming from Abia state where the position was zoned to ab initio.
He also asked the court to restrain the other faction ( the defendants) from holing Igbo Day in Calabar.
But the other faction les by Lalu threw caution to the wind and continued parading as the authentic leadership of the association and even went ahead to propose Igbo cultural day celebration on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at Management Development Institute (MDI) without recourse to the pending court case.
Ruling on the ex-parte motion with SUIT NO. HC/MSC. 207/2022 between Com. Agu Onyekachi, Raymond Atulomah, David Ihesiulo (claimants) and Sam Ebo, Esq, Elder Bassey Ukiwo, Pol Nwokolo, Jeremiah Ezeagu and Sir. Ebere Okonkwo (defendants), the presiding Judge Elais O. Abua, restrained the defendants holding any event, by whatsoever name or umbrella called in Calabar.
After hearing Alphonsus A. Uzoma Esq. for Claimants/Applicants praying the Court for an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants, privies and agents particularly the purported elected executives of the Igbo Community Calabar from holding any event, by whatsoever name or umbrella called pending the determination of the motion on notice and the Court examining the application exparte sought, affidavit evidence of the 1st Claimant/Applicant and also noting the oral submission of Mr. Uzoma, Justice Abua granted “an order exparte to last for 14 days only of today unless the December, 2022 hereby ordered granted in prayer 1 only.”
