The Anambra State Government has defended Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recognition of the newly elected traditional ruler of Nsugbe, Igwe John Nzekwesili Nweke, insisting that the August 30, 2026, kingship election did not violate any court order.
The defence comes amid mounting criticism over the presentation of a Certificate of Recognition to the monarch, with some stakeholders accusing the governor of disregarding a subsisting court order and demanding an explanation of the legal basis for the government’s action.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Legal Matters, Nnaemeka Chisom Ugha, said he had reviewed the court processes relating to the Nsugbe kingship dispute and concluded that claims that the August 30 election was conducted in defiance of a court order were “incorrect.”
According to him, the Anambra State Government was not a party to the suit and was therefore not restrained from carrying out its statutory responsibilities under the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Law.
Ugha argued that although the plaintiffs had sought an interlocutory injunction to stop the election before and after August 8, 2026, the court declined to grant the request in the broad terms sought.
He quoted the court as stating that “the Plaintiffs/Applicants’ prayer for interlocutory injunction is not granted in the broad terms in which it is framed but is granted only to the limited extent set out in the preservative orders below.”
He explained that the order applied to the election earlier scheduled for August 8, which was to be conducted through a delegate system that had been challenged by the plaintiffs.
“The August 8 election was stopped in compliance with the Court’s order,” he said, adding that the court did not restrain the conduct of a fresh election after that date.
According to Ugha, following heightened tensions in the community, the state government invoked its responsibilities under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, 2025, to establish a caretaker committee tasked with restoring peace and facilitating a fresh electoral process.
He said the committee consulted stakeholders, abandoned the disputed delegate system, adopted an all-adult voting process, which he said aligned with the plaintiffs’ demands, and subsequently fixed August 30 for a fresh election.
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Ugha maintained that the caretaker committee was not a party to the suit and that no order was made against the Nsugbe community or the Ivite Quarter.
“The 30th August election was a fresh process conducted under a different electoral arrangement adopted in resolution of the dispute as ordered by the court.
“A relief expressly refused by a court cannot subsequently be treated as though it had been granted,” he said.
The governor’s aide reiterated that the state government remained committed to the rule of law and obedience to lawful court orders, insisting that there was no legal impediment to the recognition of the monarch elected on August 30.
