The Cross River State High Court in Calabar presided over by Justice Bassey Ebuta on Monday adjourned till February 24 hearing on the leadership crisis rocking the Igbo group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Cross River.

The charge number HC/82c/2021 was adjourned by the presiding judge to enable the defendants in the case to be properly served notice of trial.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, filed a suit before the court, alleging impersonation against Ugoji Nwabueze for allegedly claiming to be the President of the Igbo group in Cross River.

However, speaking to newsmen shortly after the matter was adjourned, counsel to Nwabueze, Prof. Jacob Dada, said the condition precedent to the activation of the suit was not satisfied before February 7.

According to him, their position simply was that the plaintiff should do what was required by law before they could proceed.

“My client was to be arraigned but arraignment could not proceed because what ought to have been done was not done.

“Significantly notice of trial ought to have been prepared and issued, it has not been prepared let alone issued on the defendant.

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“So there is no way the defendant who is not aware of where he would be arraigned would make himself available for arraignment.

“The law is that a person who is accused of any infraction should be given a fair hearing and fair hearing connotes that he should be given the opportunity to be heard.

“There is no way you can say someone has been afforded the opportunity to be heard when even the venue of the trial was not known to him, that is the crux of our argument.

“There is no court order or pronouncement which says my client is not the current recognised, President of Ohanaeze.

“Any person that wants to be the president of Ohanaeze should go through the normal recognised route and not use the instrumentality of the judicial process and the police to throw up frivolous and unsustainable charge.”

Counsel to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Alex Ewa, declined to comment on the matter, saying he doesn’t want to engage in a media trial.