By Adesina Soyooye
In a surprise move which shocked not a few people, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, on Monday, May 26, sacked the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister C.O. Akaolisa, with immediate effect.
Akaolisa’s sack was announced in a terse Special Government Announcement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.
The statement which said Akaolisa’s sack took immediate effect, asked him to hand over every Government property in his possession to the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Minister of Justice.
The statement reads in full:
IMO STATE GOVERNMENT SPECIAL PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
“The Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, has approved the immediate removal from the office of the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr C .O. C Akaolisa,
“The erstwhile commissioner has been directed to hand over all government property under his care to the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Justice, immediately.”
The Governor and Akaolisa come a long way which is why his sack took not a few people unawares. Both men stood by each other through thick and tin. Particularly, when Akaolisa was suspended by the Legal Body, Uzodimma continued to keep him as a member of his Cabinet and even reappointed to the high profile office of Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Akaolisa, also, suffered losses for his loyalty to Uzodimma. In the course of his service to the State, Akaolisa lost his country home to arson.
However, he was blamed by many people for the recent controversy which surrounded the appointment and removal from office of the State’s Acting Chief Judge by the National Judicial Commission, NJC.
The Commission reversed Uzodimma’s CJ’s appointment because, it said, the Governor breached the law by appointing the 4th ranked Judge instead of the most senior Judge. The Governor was then directed to appoint the State’s most senior Judge as Acting Governor.
Akaolisa was blamed for not advising the Governor and the State’s Judicial body rightly.
The Government was, however, silent on reason(s) for his sack.
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