Lawyers Petition Tinubu Over Detention Of Delta Councillor Who Challenged Local Govt Finances
…Chukwuemeke represents Ward 19, Ezhionum, in the Legislative Arm of Ukwuani Local Government Council
Lawyers representing a councillor in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State have petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the detention and incarceration of their client, Hon. Victor Chukwuemeke, who they said demanded transparency and accountability in the management of the council’s finances.
In the petition seen by SaharaReporters and dated September 15, 2026, which was addressed to President Tinubu through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the lawyers called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Chukwuemeke’s arrest, detention, prosecution and continued incarceration.
The petition, signed by Evans Ufeli of the Chambers of Evans Ufeli, alleged that the councillor was incarcerated at the Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre after insisting on “transparency, accountability, and constitutional governance” within the local government system.
The lawyers said the matter raised concerns bordering on “abuse of state institutions, suppression of democratic dissent, intimidation of elected representatives, obstruction of legislative oversight, and the weaponization of criminal processes against a public officer whose only apparent offence was the pursuit of accountability in the administration of public funds.”
According to the petition, Chukwuemeke was elected on July 18, 2024, to represent Ward 19, Ezhionum
The lawyers alleged that following the inauguration of the councillors, they were informed by the chairman that councillorship should be regarded merely as an “empowerment arrangement.”
They further alleged that this discouraged regular legislative sittings and active oversight functions, with plenary sessions reduced to once or twice monthly and allegedly convened primarily at the discretion and convenience of the Executive Arm.
Chukwuemeke subsequently advocated for greater transparency and accountability in the administration of the local government, according to his lawyers.
After internal mechanisms for resolving the matter allegedly failed, he instituted a court action on January 22, 2026, seeking judicial intervention to compel disclosure and publication of the income and expenditure profile of Ukwuani Local Government Council.
The lawyers said the court delivered judgment in favour of their client on May 12, 2026, ordering, among other reliefs, that the Executive Chairman and Treasurer publish and make public the council’s monthly income and expenditure records from July 2024 to date within 14 days.
However, the petition alleged that instead of substantially complying with the judgment, the respondents pasted “blurred and inaccessible documents” on the council’s notice board.
The lawyers also alleged that security operatives were deployed to prevent members of the public from inspecting the documents.
They said the respondents subsequently filed processes claiming compliance and tendered a one-page summary document purportedly representing the council’s financial records. According to the petition, the court thereafter vacated the earlier judgment in favour of the respondents.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Chukwuemeke filed a Notice of Appeal alongside a Motion for Stay of Execution, the lawyers said.
On June 21, 2026, the councillor appeared on ARISE Television, where he discussed his indefinite suspension from the Legislative Arm, withholding of his salaries and entitlements, the judicial proceedings concerning the council’s finances and his decision to challenge the ruling on appeal.
The petition alleged that following the television appearance, the Executive Chairman of Ukwuani Local Government Council petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, accusing Chukwuemeke of cyberstalking and related offences against himself, former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the trial judge, Justice Samuel Okeleke.
The lawyers further alleged that on July 13, 2026, Chukwuemeke honoured an invitation to appear before Justice Okeleke at the Delta State High Court, Obiaruku Division.
However, they claimed that upon arrival, he was “harassed, apprehended, and whisked away” by operatives to the State Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Asaba.
According to the petition, Chukwuemeke was detained for seven days without administrative bail before being arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba.
His lawyers said his bail application was heard but not ruled upon before the court proceeded on vacation, after which he was remanded at the Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre until the commencement of the new legal year.
The lawyers described the development as a “troubling pattern suggestive of political persecution, intimidation, and the criminalization of democratic oversight and free expression.”
They argued that the case raised broader concerns about the independence and functionality of Local Government Legislative Arms, the obligation of public office holders to account for public funds, the protection of elected representatives demanding transparency and the use of law enforcement and prosecutorial powers.
“At a time when Your Excellency’s administration has consistently championed fiscal responsibility, institutional accountability, and democratic renewal under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the incarceration of an elected Councillor allegedly for demanding transparency in Local Government administration sends a deeply troubling signal to citizens and public office holders alike,” the lawyers said.
They added, “If elected representatives can be suspended, financially strangulated, criminally prosecuted, and incarcerated merely for insisting on accountability, then the very foundation of participatory democracy at the grassroots level stands imperiled.”
The lawyers urged Tinubu to cause an independent investigation into Chukwuemeke’s arrest, detention, prosecution and continued incarceration.
They also asked the President to direct relevant security and prosecutorial authorities to protect the councillor’s constitutional safeguards and fundamental rights, and to intervene to prevent what they described as the abuse of state institutions for political vendetta or suppression of democratic accountability.
The lawyers further urged the President to ensure that the autonomy, integrity and oversight responsibilities of Local Government Legislative Arms were preserved in accordance with the Constitution and extant laws.
“History has consistently shown that democracies thrive not when dissenting voices are silenced, but when accountability is encouraged and protected under the rule of law,” the lawyers stated.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Chukwuemeka, 36, was charged before the Federal High Court in Asaba by the Inspector General of Police following allegations that he made statements during a live television broadcast which were capable of causing a breakdown of law and order in the local government area.
The case arose from comments allegedly made by the councillor on June 21, 2026, during a live broadcast that was also streamed on online platforms including YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.
According to the charge, the prosecution alleged that Chukwuemeka “did with the intent to cause breakdown of law and order in Delta State, especially within the Ukwuani Local Government Council, knowingly and intentionally made the followings statements.”
The statements allegedly concerned the management of funds allocated to Ukwuani Local Government Council and the conduct of its chairman, Barrister Chiamaka Solomon Possible Ajede.
The prosecution alleged that Chukwuemeka said: “Whenever allocation of the Ukwuani Local Government Council is released, the Local Government Chairman uses it to offset embezzlement of funds by Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, former Governor of Delta State and divert the balance to pay the members of his family and for acquisition of personal properties.”
COURTESY: saharareporters.com
