By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI—BISHOP of the Anglican Diocese of Egbu, Rt. Rev. Geoffrey Okorafor, has expressed worry over the flagrant disrespect of court orders in the country.

He was also alarmed at the utterances of some politicians and cautioned them to “avoid overheating our fragile and volatile political environment.”

Bishop Okorafor, who made the remarks during a Eucharistic service of confirmation, admission and induction at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Umuocham Ntu in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Imo State, noted with regret that court orders were being honoured in the breach.

“It is most regrettable that court orders are  honoured in the breach. Similarly, inflammatory statements by the political class are capable of not only truncating the nation’s democracy but likely to plunge the country into anarchy and another civil war,” Okorafor said.

While saying that God would not take kindly with anyone or group, through whose actions and utterances the nation was plunged into a civil war, he stressed that “Nigeria is pregnant and nobody knows what it deliver”.

He made particular reference to Imo State where, he said, inspite of the order of court against the impeachment of former Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, the lawmakers went ahead to remove him from office.

“We now know that the same order which the state government said it respected by stopping the swearing-in of the new deputy governor designate was the same one that caged them from going ahead with the impeachment proceedings,” Bishop Okorafor recalled with grief.

He advised the federal and state governments to be conscious of the separation of powers between the three tiers of government, as enshrined   in the nation’s constitution and ensure that court orders were obeyed.

Okorafor marveled at roles played by people from Owerri zone against their own brother in the impeachment saga.

“They include the House member who moved the motion for the impeachement, the lawmaker who seconded the motion, the Imo State Chief Judge who constituted the impeachment panel, the chairman of the impeachment panel and the deputy governor designate who also is from Owerri zone. The entire saga was most unpleasant”, Okorafor fumed.

While recalling what the impeachment saga portends to Owerri zone politics in future, the cleric recalled that it was in the same manner that the former Deputy Governor, Jude Agbaso was impeached in 2013.

He felt dismayed that the lack of unity of purpose amongst politicians of Owerri zone, was again playing out in the number of governorship aspirants from the zone and advised the building of consensus before their party primaries in order to position the zone for electoral victory in the 2019 gubernatorial election.