Eze Apara Stool: Applicant Seeks Joinder For 11th Defendant

The claimants/appli
cants, Chief Emeka Anyabelem and Elder Boniface Weche have filed a motion on notice (O.B,V.4 RHC2010) to join Barr Uche Isaiah-Elikwu as the eleventh  respondent in a matter before a Port-Harcourt High Court, Rivers State with  No. PHC/1818/2013 bordering on Eze Apara Rebisi chieftaincy stool. The motion which was scheduled to be moved on the floor of the court last Wednesday could not be heard due to the difficulty by the claimnant to serve the party seeking to join Barr Uche Isaiah Elikwu in the matter.
Counsel to the claimant, Barr Stephen O. Egejum who held brief for 1.1. Evans and James Ocholi (SAN) told the court that the motion can not be heard due to the difficulties encountered by his client to serve the party seeking to be joined in the matter and requested for an adjournment to enable his client serve the party accordingly.
The trial Judge, Justice M. W. Danagogo after listening to the counsel granted the adjournment and adjourned the case to September 23rd, 2015 for the motion to be heard.
It would be recalled that Justice T.S. Oji had last year given an order after hearing James Ocholi (SAN), I.I. Evans, counsel for the claimants, O.C.J. Okocha (SAN) with P.J Esuikile for 1st and 2nd defendants and Chima Boms, G.G. Dike and Y. Aginaga, counsel to 3rd to 8th defendants and ordered the parties to maintain status quo in the matter.
The Judge further ordered that the parties including the state government which is the 10th defendant to ensure that they do not tamper with the Eze Apara Rebisi stool in any manner whatsoever pending the determination of the motion   or the suit proper, noting that the stool was at the moment under the jurisdiction and powers of the court.
Speaking to judiciary correspondents after the sitting at the judiciary complex, Barrister Stephen Egejuru stated that the suit before the court was a subject matter of Paramount  chieftaincy of towns and villages in Port Harcourt City called Eze Apara Rebisi Stool that was held last by HRM Eze Sunday Nnata Wolechem who happened to come from Oruolozu in Rebisi.
Barr Egejuru stated that the people of Oruolozu have been given wrong explanation that the stool was “Eze Epara stool” which was against its statutory  recognised title “Eze Apara Rebisis Stool”.
According to him, the Rivers State House of Assembly recently, amended and passed into law the state Traditional Rulers Council Law which corrected the wrong deeds of the past administration which confirmed a non-existing classified Eze Epara Rebisis a Stool to “Prince Victor Woluchem.
He averred that they sought to join Barr Uche I. Elikwu because of his move to be recognized as the Eze Apara Rebisis,  title different  from the “Eze Epara’ they have been asking for as well as to remind the state government of the earlier order by the court which asked all parties to maintain the status-quo pending the determination of the substantive suit before it.