By Ifeanyichukwu Ibe.
A frontline legal practitioner in Imo State, Chief Barrister P. C. Mgbenwelu, popularly known as Egbendu, has kicked against the non-inclusion of some states of the South East geopolitical zone, namely: Imo, Abia and Ebonyi into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Judiciary.
He maintained that such composition did not only alienate a particular section of the country from national assignments, but contravened the spirit and letters of the Federal Character Act which seeks to promote national unity.
The Oru-West-born Legal Practitioner made the disclosure while delivering his solemn speech during a Special High Court Session In honour of Late Barrister Chukwueloka Tim Okeke on Friday, February 23rd, at Justice Oputa High Court Complex, New Owerri, Imo State. According to him, the obvious discrimination against the region, despite producing great and brilliant legal practitioners should be condemned, as he wondered how some states from the Northern and Western parts of the country should be considered for more slots, while some South Eastern states are not represented.
Chief Egbendu, declared: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, therefore assuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.
“With the above conspicuous provision of our Constitution, how could it be explained, defended or taken for granted that three states out of the five states of the South East, namely: Imo, Abia and Ebonyi have not one single representation in the Federal Capacity Territory Judiciary as stipulated under the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja ( Number of Judges) Act 2003. This appears more as deliberate when some states such as Bauchi, Kogi and Oyo are being considered to have more than one slot in the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary.”
Furthermore, he disclosed that it became incumbent on him as the Cock of the Bar to speak out against the anomaly, adding such would have been the reactions of other legends in the Judiciary.
Eulogizing the deseased, Barrister Mgbenwelu, observed that “One of the principal paradoxes of our society is that death is both a popular and a forbidden subject. The death of any well-known person like Chukwueloka Tim Okeke (CTO) is discussed at length; at the same time, the subject of death is largely avoided. We speak of it only in whispers: we consider it horrible, ugly, wicked and grotesque. Of all phenomena; it is the most obvious and the least reportable; it encompasses the profoundest of man’s perplexities and ambivalences.”
Egbendu, described Late Barrister Okeke as a successful legal practitioner, who was loved both by the Bar and the Bench, however, drew attention to the transiency of life and man’s ultimate state of insignificance. His speech: “There lies our once ebullient colleague, helpless, oblivious of what is going on around him and permanently ignorant of our presence here. His condition as he lies forces us to recognize our essential aloneness and our ultimate powerlessness and insignificance. Each and everyone of us must go the same way and only the lucky of us will receive the type of honour being given to him today.”
He concluded by informing the gathering that Divine Will surpasses mortality at all times. And making reference to the Scriptures, Chief Egbendu submitted: “Who are we mortals to question the will, purpose and ways of Divine providence; as the upright man Job said in the Scripture, ‘The Lord gave and the Lord had taken away.’ Blessed be to the name of the Lord.”
The Special High Court Session was presided over by Justice L.C. Azuama, who stood in for the Chief Judge of Imo State, Justice T.E. Chukwuemeka-Chikeka. It was attended by the deseased family members/relatives, retired and serving members of the Judiciary, legal practitioners as well as other members of the public.
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