I Did Not Suspend 40 Monarchs – Gov Okorocha

The Imo State governor,Owelle Rochas Okorocha has described as laughable the allegation of his suspension of 40 traditional rulers in the state for misconduct, insisting that the purported restraining order obtained by the monarchs from the court against their suspension was meaningless. The governor who bared his mind on the matter through a press statement he issued through his chief press secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo maintained that he had never interfered in the affairs of the
council of traditional rulers in the state to warrant his suspension of the monarchs. He explained that the state council of traditional rulers had issued the suspension after deliberating and indicting the 40 monarchs of gross misconduct and disobedience to the council. The statement further maintained that the council is established by law. And the law establishing it credited some functions to the leadership of the council independent of the state government or the governor. But the law it added did not give the leadership of the council the right to sack anybody as an Eze but can suspend any Eze from the council and that he maintained was what happened. Four monarchs, he explained in the statement, were suspended from the council but not by him. The council law he noted also gives the governor the authority to sack or dethrone or suspend any traditional ruler from his stool but pointed out that he has never taken any of the actions against any of the traditional rulers who went to court. In the statement, Okorocha challenged the monarchs to make public the reference court order.
Leadership