PDP Flays Akaolisa’s Reappointment As Imo Attorney-General

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has discarded the reappointment of Mr Cyprian Akaolisa as Attorney-General of the state.
This is contained in a release signed by the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Ogubundu Nwadike and made available to newsmen in Owerri on Tuesday.
Nwadike cited Akaolisa’s five – year suspension by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for “professional misconduct” adding that it disqualifies him from occupying the highly elevated office in the state.
The party pointed out that in line with statutory stipulations, the Attorney-General of a state must be a bonafide lawyer who is recognised by the National Judicial Commission and the Nigeria Bar Association.
“It is on record that Akaolisa was recently barred from practicing as a lawyer for five years by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for violating set codes of ethics and conduct of the Legal Practitioners body.
“Imo can ill-afford the unconstitutional aberration of having a non-lawyer as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice as there are numerous qualified legal practitioners in the state who can appropriately serve in the office.
“We therefore, find it unacceptable that Akaolisa should be reappointed after about three months of his rightful ouster from office for the espoused reasons of gross abuse of office and miscarriage of legal and judicial processes.
“We charge Governor Hope Uzodinma to do the needful and appoint a duly certified legal practitioner to the highly respected office”, the party said.
On July 9, 2021, the LPDC, headed by J.B Dada, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, found Akaolisa guilty of professional misconduct and slammed him with a five-year-ban from legal practice.
Akaolisa who had hitherto been sacked as Attorney General in Imo on May 13 had, in a twist of events, been reappointed by Uzodimma to the same office on Sunday, August 1, 2021.

By: Joe Nwachukwu, Owerri