Fresh court documents have revealed that the planned selection of a new traditional ruler for Nsugbe Community in Anambra East Local Government Area was halted by a court order and not by the intervention of Senator Tony Nwoye.
The clarification followed allegations by the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee appointed by the Anambra State Government to oversee the affairs of Nsugbe, Mr Sunday Attah, who accused Senator Nwoye of leading a group of people to disrupt the planned selection exercise on Saturday.
Attah had reportedly maintained that no court order prevented his committee from conducting the exercise and called on the senator, who is an indigene of Nsugbe, to allow peace to prevail in the community.
However, documents obtained from the Awka Judicial Division showed that Justice Jude Obiora, sitting as Vacation Judge 1, had issued preservative orders restraining the conduct of any election or selection of a new Igwe for Nsugbe pending the determination of a substantive suit before the court.
The order was made on August 5, 2026, in Motion No. OT/1192m/2026, arising from Suit No. OT/237/2026, which was filed on July 8, 2026.
The suit was instituted by Chukwuma Omenyi and other plaintiffs, including Okechukwu Arizona Dibua, Uchechukwu Emmanuel Nwalunor, Obichukwu Nwokike and Igwebuike Ado, acting on their behalf and on behalf of the Nsugbe Electoral Committee for the selection of Igwe Nsugbe.
Several individuals and institutions, including officials of the Nsugbe Development Union, were listed as defendants in the matter.
After hearing submissions from counsel representing the parties, Justice Obiora declined to grant a broad interlocutory injunction sought by the plaintiffs but issued limited preservative orders aimed at maintaining peace and preserving the existing situation.
The court directed all parties to maintain the status quo as of July 8, 2026, when the substantive suit was filed.
Specifically, the judge restrained any person or group from organising, conducting, supervising or giving effect to the planned election or selection of the next Igwe of Nsugbe from Ivite Quarter, which had been scheduled for August 8, 2026.
The court further ruled that time would not run against Ivite Quarter in its bid to produce the next traditional ruler of the community.
It also held that the rotational arrangement for the Igweship would not move to another quarter until the dispute was resolved either through an amicable settlement or a final judgment of the court.
Justice Obiora noted that the preservative orders were without prejudice to the court’s eventual decision on the dispute surrounding the authenticity and interpretation of the competing constitutional documents governing the selection of the traditional ruler.
The judge also ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter and directed all parties to file their outstanding processes within the period stipulated by the rules of the court.
Following the ruling, the Secretary-General of the Nsugbe Development Union (National), Dr Benedict I. Uzoechina, reportedly wrote to the State Director of the Department of State Services on August 6, forwarding the enrolled court order and requesting the agency’s assistance in ensuring compliance.
The letter, which was received by the DSS on August 7, urged the security agency to enforce compliance with the court directive in order to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order in the community.
Despite the existence of the court order, Attah reportedly maintained that the directive did not affect the mandate of the caretaker committee, arguing that neither the Anambra State Government nor the committee was listed as a party in the suit.
He also dismissed suggestions that the Anambra State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, who is from Nsugbe, was involved in the committee’s arrangements for the proposed selection exercise.
With the matter still pending before the court, attention is now focused on the speedy determination of the substantive suit and the possibility of an out-of-court settlement over Ivite Quarter’s turn to produce the next traditional ruler of Nsugbe.
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