AWKA—A don, Dr Okey Ikeanyibe, of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and four others, have been sentenced to three months imprisonment by an Anambra High Court sitting at Ekwulobia for contempt of court.

Others sentenced along with Ikeanyibe are Chief Samuel Nwankwo, Gregory Oragunye, Sebastian Aguina and Chief C.A.C Ifedioranma.

Justice B. A. Nwankwo, who handed down the judgment, said the five persons flagrantly disobeyed the order of the court by going ahead to conduct an election into Isuofia Town Union.

Those sentenced were members of Isuofia community caretaker committee set up earlier in the year by Anambra State government to reconcile all the feuding groups in the community and organize an election to install an acceptable executive to oversee the affairs of the community.

But three members of the committee, among who was the plaintiff/applicant, Deacon Ifediba, disagreed with them, accusing them of acting outside the terms of reference given to them by the government.

The court had on April 1, 2010, issued an order restraining them from organizing the Town Union general election scheduled for April 3, 2010, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice brought by Mr Betram Nnakenyi, counsel to Deacon Ezeifediba.

However, they went ahead to conduct the election, even after the governor’s representatives who were to act as observers and supervisors had warned them against carrying out the exercise in view of the court order.

Justice Nwankwo said: *that despite the various notices of the pendency of the injunctive Order restraining the Respondents/Contemnors from conducting the general election of Isuofia Peoples Union Federated on 3rd April 2010, the Respondents/ Contemnors in flagrant breach of the said Injunctive Order, disdainfully and scornfully proceeded and conducted the said general election in defiance of the rule of law;

*that as the Respondents/Contemnors do not seem to be penitent and/or remorseful, because the court watched their demeanors during the proceedings, the law should follow its cause accordingly; and

*that the 5 Respondents/Contemnors shall be and are hereby committed to prison for 3 months during which period they should purge themselves of their contempt. Any contemnor who is not present in court is hereby ordered to be arrested and committed to prison accordingly for contempt.