Court Restrains Imo Government From Stopping Ugochinyeres Rallies and Billboards

(Court. Photo by Premuim Times)

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has ordered the Imo State Government, security agencies, and the chairmen of Ideato North and Ideato South Local Government Areas not to interfere with the rallies, meetings, and other civic activities of Imo Ugochinyere, the member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North/South Federal Constituency.

Justice Kayode Agunloye imposed the interim injunction on July 20, 2026, after Ugochinyere filed an ex parte application in suit number FCT/HC/CV/153/2026 and Motion No. M/481/2026.

According to the documents given with our reporter on Friday, the court prohibited the defendants, their agents, officers, personnel, or anyone working on their behalf from "destroying, dismantling, defacing, cutting down or ordering for the removal and/or demolition" of billboards and signage installed by the lawmaker across Ideato North and South Federal Constituencies of Imo State.

The judgment further prohibited them from "stopping, barring, denying access to, sealing off, or preventing the Claimant and/or his supporters" from holding peaceful rallies, processions, campaigns, meetings, and other civic activities in Ideato Federal Constituency or anywhere else in Imo State.

The order came after Ugochinyere submitted an application thru his counsel, Chizubor Ezike.

The defendants include the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, the Imo State Governor, the Imo State Signage and Advertisement Agency, the chairmen of Ideato North and Ideato South LGAs, Imo State's Commissioner of Police, the Director of the SSS in the state, and the NSCDC Imo State Command.

In allowing the application, Agunloye stated that he reviewed "the Affidavit in Support of the Application, the exhibits, and the Affidavit of Extreme Urgency" sworn to by one Anderson Achike.

The judge further stated that he had heard counsel for the applicant, Ibukunoluwa Thompson, before granting the application.

The court particularly ordered that the defendants refrain from engaging in conduct that could jeopardize Ugochinyere's political and civic activities until the motion on notice is resolved.

The order states that the defendants are restrained from "stopping the continued or further reinstallation of the billboards" by the lawmaker or from preventing him and his supporters from conducting "any civic activities, peaceful rally, procession, program, campaign, meetings or any event" in Ideato venues, Federal Constituency or Imo State.

The court further prohibited the defendants from violating the lawmaker's "inalienable rights to expression, peaceful assembly, and movement."

Those rights, according to the court, included Ugochinyere's right "to erect or install signage or billboards within Ideato Federal Constituency or Imo State" for purposes such as promoting government projects attracted by him as a federal lawmaker, mobilizing constituents, sending seasonal greetings, and disseminating security-awareness messages.

The order also has a direct impact on a letter sent on June 15, 2026, requesting that Ugochinyere decrease the number of billboards he uses.

The court prohibited the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth defendants from "giving effect to, enforcing, carrying out or implementing the letter dated 15th June, 2026 or any other such letter(s)" limiting the number of the lawmaker's billboards to six.

The defendants were also restrained from providing security cover for anyone seeking to destroy or remove the billboards in furtherance of the June 15 letter.

The judge ordered accelerated hearing of the substantive suit.

The order further directed that the originating summons, hearing notices and other court processes be served on the relevant defendants through specified channels, including the office of the Attorney-General of Imo State, the Legal Department of the Nigeria Police Force, the SSS headquarters and the NSCDC headquarters in Abuja.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to July 28, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

When the matter came up on the adjourned date, the court noted that the respondents were still within the time allowed by law to file their response and were therefore entitled to be heard in defence of the suit.

The claimant’s side, however, urged the court to extend the interim order through the court’s vacation period, arguing that it was the respondents who were not ready to proceed with the interlocutory injunction motion.

Ruling on the request, Justice Agunloye extended the interim order to remain in force until the next adjourned date, and further adjourned the case to November 4, 2026, for hearing.

The order was signed by the presiding judge and authenticated by the court registrar, Hannatu Simon.