New Telegraph

Igbo lawyers seek to join suit asking for S’East’s exit from Nigeria

Lawyers from the Eastern part of Nigeria Monday asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to join them as defendants in a suit instituted by a group of Northern Elders praying for the exit of the South East region out of the country based on the agitations of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafran (IPOB) and Nnamdi Kanu.

The legal practitioners, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Chuks Muoma,  Ukpai Ukairo, Ebere Uzoatu and Hon Obi Emuka, are asking for order of the court to allow them join in the suit as representatives of the people of the South Eastern region.

In their application for joinder filed by Victor Onweremadu, the applicants claimed that the case of the Northern elders seeking the exit of south east from Nigeria has the capability to shape the life of the generation of Igbo people.

The motion on notice for the joinder request was brought pursuant to order 9 rule 5 and orders 26 rule 2 of the Federal High court civil procedure rule 2019.

The Northern Elders had in June this year filed the contentious suit asking the court to compel the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives to hasten the exit of the South Eastern region from Nigeria before concluding on-going amendment to the country’s Constitution.

The request for court order to compel hastening of South East exit from Nigeria was one of the three prayers sought in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 instituted by a group of elders and politicians from North led by Nastura Ashir Shariff, Balarabe Rufa’I, Abdul-Aziz Sulaiman and Aminu Adam.

In their suit, they averred in a supporting affidavit that their action was informed by the need to stem the tide of violence and destruction being allegedly occasioned by the agitation for secession championed by the Nnamdi Kanu-led POB.

The Plaintiffs claimed that they do not want a repeat of the 1967 to 1970 civil war in Nigeria that cost the nation many innocent lives and properties worth billions of naira.

Listed as defendants in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly.

However, although the Igbos are not joined in the suit, the Igbo lawyers claimed that they have interest to protect in the suit, hence, their request to be made a set of defendants in the case.

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