From Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia

Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Ibrahim Auta  has  directed that the case of certificate forgery instituted against Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, by  a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Friday Nwanozie Nwosu,   should  immediately be returned to the Owerri Judicial Division of the court. The case, Auta directed should be continued and concluded by Justice S. M. Shuaibu.

Already, Justice Shuaibu, who was said to have been stripped of the responsibility by the Chief Judge has been notified of  this development and directed to continue and conclude the all important assignment.

Daily Sun investigations revealed that the development is connected with  a petition written by Nwosu to the Chief Judge in April, alleging that there were  efforts on the part of the governor, his party and  strong supporters to  bring the reputation of the court and that of the Chief Judge down through perversion of justice.

The petition to the Chief Judge was also said to have alleged that the defendants made careless public announcements and statements that could malign the office and person of the Chief Judge.

The petition  also made reference to a statement credited to the governor’s lead  Counsel, C. C. Elele, who he  alleged to have said in an open court that the assignment of Justice Shuaibu, who had been handling the matter  had been revoked by the Chief Judge.

During the last mentioning of the case in Owerri, Imo State early in April, Counsel  to Governor Ikpeazu,  had informed Shuaibu in an open court  that the Chief Judge had stripped him of the responsibility of presiding over the matter.

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Our investigations also revealed that Nwosu’s petition  explained how the former governor, Senator Theodore Orji  announced publicly that he had finished Nwosu’s matter against Governor Ikpeazu at the highest level of Federal High Court and that  the outcome of it on April 28, 2016 would definitely be in favour of the governor.

Nwosu was also said to have alleged  that the former governor claimed  that he had agreed with the Chief Judge to remove Justice Shuaibu as the judge, who would continue and conclude the matter.

Also contained in Nwosu’s petition, we learnt  is the allegation that Theodore  Orji announced to his guests during a reception organized in his honour  that he gave huge sums of money in US Dollars for the purpose of finishing Nwosu’s forgery case against Ikpeazu as no normal person can refuse the kind of money he gave to finish the matter.

The above statements and more were said to have been alleged by Nwosu against the former governor, Senator  Orji,  and other supporters of the peoples Democratic party in the matter,  in his petition to the Chief Judge .

In view of the  allegations raised in his petition to the Chief Judge by Nwosu,  Daily Sun gathered that the Chief Judge denied all, particularly,  having any contact with the defendants, Senator Orji and others, then vowed to remain neutral  in the matter.

We also gathered that  in order to assure all parties of his neutrality, the Chief Judge  directed the returning of the case to Owerri Judicial division for Justice Shuaibu to continue  and conclude .

Meanwhile, Justice Shuaibu has been notified of this development  and would be presiding over the forgery case on April 28, 2016,  against information making rounds in social media that the case has been transferred to Abuja. END