Peoples’ club president petitions NBA over lawyers’ role in leadership crisis

The President of Peoples’ Club of Nigeria/International, Chief Joseph Ilonze, has petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against three members of the club who are lawyers, accusing them of being the brains behind the leadership crisis currently rocking the club.

The accused club members are Felix Obi-Okafor, Fidelis Onyebueke, and Lawrence Arinze.

The petition comes against the backdrop of a court judgement obtained by Ilonze, which mandated the trio to pay him a sum of N5 million for using the police to violate his fundamental rights.

In a strongly-worded petition dated December 16, 2024, which the LPDC received on December 20, 2024, the petitioner, through his legal counsel, I.I.N. Nwosu Esq., said he brought it under the Legal Practitioners Act, 2004.

In the petition No. BB/LPDC/1584/2024, brought in the form of an Originating Application, Ilonze lamented that the negative actions of the trio of Obi-Okafor, Onyebueke, and Arinze have become inimical to the peace, progress, and unity of the club.

Ilonze alleged that the negative activities of the trio have become too inexplicable and that they are required to answer the allegations contained in the statement of facts/affidavit which accompanied the petition to the LPDC, adding that such an order be made as the committee shall think right.

Briefing journalists on the development over the weekend at the Peoples’ Club House, Onitsha Branch, Anambra State, Ilonze said he wrote the petition to the LPDC against the trio, who he said have since been expelled from the club because they have been using their profession as lawyers to harass and intimidate other members of the club, including himself, simply because they are lawyers and members of the Nigerian Bar Association.

He said, “I have petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee of the NBA over the harassment and intimidating behaviours of their members. We want the NBA to query, suspend, or even expel them too from the legal profession because we have already expelled them from the Peoples’ Club of Nigeria International.”

“The three lawyers are using the profession to harass and intimidate us simply because we are ordinary citizens, and I am appealing to the NBA to urgently look into their activities and compel them to stop terrorising innocent people like us.

“We expelled them for peace to reign in our noble club which was formed decades ago by our forefathers to strengthen cordial relationships among Igbo traders all over the world. Now that they have been expelled, I will commence a peace process to reunite all the warring factions.”

While insisting that the trio remained expelled until further notice, Ilonze warned the public not to engage in any business transaction with them under the umbrella of the Peoples’ Club of Nigeria.

It was gathered that their expulsion might not be unconnected with the ongoing leadership crisis rocking the club over who becomes the authentic national president of the club.

According to sources, while Ilonze claimed that he was constitutionally elected by the club members when he travelled overseas, the trio allegedly ganged up and carried out a coup d’état, claiming that they had removed him from office. However, Ilonze returned from abroad, went to court, and the court returned him to office.

Making reference to a landmark judgement delivered on July 18, 2023, by Justice Pete Obiora of the Anambra State High Court sitting at Ogidi in Idemili Judicial Division, now of the Court of Appeal in Suit No. HID/274/2018, which declared that Chief Joseph Ilonze is the elected National President of the Peoples’ Club of Nigeria/International.

Ilonze noted that the latest scuffle arose recently when the trio went back to the Club’s National Headquarters in Onitsha, erected an entrance gate, chased away members of the club, locked up the headquarters, and stationed a combined team of policemen, soldiers, and vigilante operatives on a 24-hour vigilance at the entrance gate with specific instructions not to allow Ilonze and his supporters access into the compound anymore.

Meanwhile, the Atani High Court presided over by Justice Chukwudi Okaa, while delivering judgement in a fundamental rights application filed by Ilonze against the trio of Obi-Okafor, Onyebueke, and Arinze, during which he ordered them to pay him the N5 million as damages for violating his fundamental rights, also restrained the police from further denying Ilonze access to the club’s headquarters in Onitsha.

Joined as co-defendants in Suit No. AT/MISC.106/2024 as the 4th, 5th, and 6th defendants are the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG in charge of Zone 13, Ukpo, and the Inspector-General of Police.

Delivering the judgement on December 20, 2024, after hearing and considering the submissions of Tobechukwu Nweke for the applicant and Onyechi Araka Esq. for the 1st – 3rd respondents, Justice Okaa declared that the unwarranted invitation and threat to arrest and detain Ilonze, the applicant by the officers of the 4th – 6th respondents at the instigation of the 1st – 3rd respondents constitutes a violation of Ilonze’s rights to personal liberty and dignity of a human person as guaranteed by Sections 34 and 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria.

Justice Okaa, in the judgement, said, “The 4th-6th respondents, their agents, servants, and privies, however described, are perpetually restrained from further inviting or threatening to arrest or detain or from arresting and detaining the applicant on account of the discharge of his functions as the National President of Peoples’ Club of Nigeria/International, PCNI.

“The respondents, their agents, servants, and privies are hereby perpetually restrained from denying the applicant the right to access and enter for the purpose of associating with members of the PCNI, the Club’s property/building located along Km 3, Owerri Road, Onitsha.”

However, in a swift reaction, when contacted, the third respondent, Lawrence Arinze, who is said to be eyeing the Club’s president seat and also the leader of the opposing camp, dismissed all the allegations.

Arinze said the petitioner should channel his grievances to the appropriate quarters if he claims he is being harassed and intimidated.

He said, “They know where to channel their grievances to if they claim we are using our profession as lawyers to intimidate and harass them. If the complaints are against our profession, they should write to our professional body to report us.

“The fact is that the High Court at Atani, which awarded the petitioner N5 million in damages, has no jurisdiction over the matter, and, moreover, there is a judgement against them, and the matter is still ongoing.”

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