The patron of Imo Concerned Citizens Forum, Charles
Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, on Wednesday at a protest in Owerri, the Imo
State capital admitted that the Supreme Court is not above human error, urging
the apex court to correct itself.
According to him, “As a little boy, my father, who
was once in charge of the Supreme Court, once declared that the Supreme Court
can also make mistake. We admit that the Supreme Court has made a mistake, so they
should correct themselves.”
This is as an attempt by the some hoodlums
suspected to be supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state
to stop the ongoing protest against the removal of Emeka Ihedioha as governor
of Imo State by the Supreme Court was on Wednesday foiled by angry youths and
security agents.
Thousands of supporters of Ihedioha had converged
on the ancestral ground of Owerri, Ugwu Ekwema on Egbu Road, before 10a.m. to
continue with the protest against the removal of Ihedioha.
At the resumed protest, the hoodlums attempted to
block the march of Ihedioha supporters by setting up tyres as burn fires.
They were, however, overpowered by the protesting
youths and security agents, who chased them away from the road to enable the
protest to continue unhindered.
The protesters were led by Charles Oputa under the
auspices of Imo Concerned Citizens (ICC), who demanded the restoration of
Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State.
Oputa told the members of ICC that the protest was
for the good of Imo State and the people.
The activist, who claimed to be the father of
frustrated Nigerians, said Imo people are angry at the ouster of Ihedioha, even
as he maintained that the stupidity of the people was over.
According to him, “Everyone here is angry at the
removal of Ihedioha. What we are doing here is not about a person but for the
good of the Imo people. Our stupidity is enough, and we must realise that the
people are the real government while office holders are our servants. But
because of lack of understanding, we have them think they are in charge.”
He said further: “We are here because of the
progress of Imo State, especially the youths like me. The Supreme Court judges
made a mistake, and what we are doing here is to say there has been a
miscarriage of justice. We are pleading with the Justices to please reverse
themselves on the Imo case.”
According to Charley Boy, son of revered Supreme
Court Judge, late Justice Charles Oputa, his father always told him that
wherever he sees injustice, he should rise up and address it because if one
does not, it will come back to fight him, adding that the learned jurist told
him that the apex court can make mistake but that it should correct itself
immediately.
He lamented what he described as so much injustice
in the country, saying: “There is so much injustice in Nigeria. I know that
part of government job is to protect the citizens but what we see is systematic
endemic injustice and we will stand together to fight it wherever we see it.”
The showbiz crooner said Imo State for eight years was
bedeviled with bad leadership, adding that Ihedioha helped to put the state in
right reckoning, saying the Supreme Court should immediately restore the choice
of the people.
Earlier, one of the leaders of the Imo Concerned
Citizens, Kingsley Onwubiko, said the Imo people are angry at the apex court
for removing Ihedioha, who according to him, is “our liberator, a man who came
and removed foolishness from our state. We beg the Supreme Court to give us
back the man Imo people voted for.”
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