Court stops Imo govt, police from disrupting Rep’s rallies, removing billboards

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has restrained the Imo State Government, various security agencies and local government chairmen from interfering with the rallies, meetings, and other civic activities of a House of Representatives member from Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere.

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Justice Kayode Agunloye issued the interim injunction following an ex parte application filed by Ugochinyere, through his lawyer Chibuzor Ezike, in suit number FCT/HC/CV/153/2026.

Agunloye issued the order on 20 July, according to court documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. The presiding judge signed the order, which was also authenticated by the court registrar, Hannatu Simon.

The lawmaker, a member of the opposition Action Peoples Party, represents Ideato North/South Federal Constituency in the lower chamber of the National Assembly. This newspaper gathered that Ugochinyere filed the suit after the Imo State Government issued a directive, via a letter dated 15 June, limiting the federal lawmaker to a maximum of six billboards in his Ideato North and South Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.

Although the lawmaker was listed as the sole claimant, 11 defendants were identified in the suit.

Those listed as defendants were the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the State Security Service (SSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State.

Others were the Imo State Signage and Advertisement Agency, chairpersons of Ideato North and Ideato South LGAs, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, the Director of the SSS in the state and the Imo State Command of the NSCDC.

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Interim injunction

Agunloye restrained the defendants, their agents, officers, staff or anyone acting on their behalf from “destroying, dismantling, defacing, cutting down or ordering the removal and/or demolition” of billboards and signage installed by Ugochinyere across the Ideato North and South Federal Constituency of Imo State.

The judge also barred the defendants from “stopping, barring, denying access to, sealing off or preventing the Claimant and/or his supporters” from using venues for peaceful rallies, processions, campaigns, meetings and other civic activities within the Ideato Federal Constituency or elsewhere in Imo State pending the determination of the motion on notice.

He equally restrained the defendants from breaching or violating Ugochinyere’s “inalienable rights to expression, peaceful assembly, and movement or to erect or install signage or billboards within Ideato Federal Constituency or Imo State” for any reason.

The court restrained the security agencies listed as defendants from “giving effect to, enforcing, carrying out or implementing the letter dated 15 June 2026 or any other such letter(s)” restricting the number of the lawmaker’s billboards to six.

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

The judge ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit.

He further directed that the originating summons, hearing notices and other court processes be served on the relevant defendants through specified offices, 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 until 28 July to hear the motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction.

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New adjourned date

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that when the matter was called up on 28 July, the court maintained that the defendants were still within the time allowed by law to file their response and were therefore entitled to be heard in defence of the suit.

However, Ugochinyere, through his lawyer, urged the court to extend the interim order through the court’s vacation period.

The lawmaker argued that the defendants were not ready to proceed with the interlocutory injunction motion.

In his ruling, Justice Agunloye extended the interim order to remain in force until the next adjourned date, and further adjourned the case to 4 November for hearing.