Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki after the court session, Counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Theophilus Nwogbo, said the matter is now properly before the court and urged all parties involved to maintain the status quo pending the court’s determination.
According to him, once a dispute is brought before a court of law, it is the settled position of the law that parties are expected to refrain from taking any action that could prejudice the outcome of the case.
“The position of the law is that once a matter is filed in court, the parties involved are advised to maintain status quo until the matter is resolved one way or the other,” Nwogbo said
.
He explained that the plaintiff, Dr. Nasir Ernest Nwaze, who he described as the incumbent chairman of IPAC in Ebonyi State, approached the court in the interest of peace and legality within the council.
“He has already come to court because he wants peace in IPAC. It is now the duty of the court to determine the legality or otherwise of the actions of the defendants,” the counsel stated.
Barrister Nwogbo clarified that the plaintiff has filed an originating summons alongside a motion for an interlocutory injunction, which the court has fixed for hearing on February 10.
“We have filed our originating summons and also our motion for interlocutory injunction. The matter has now been adjourned to the 10th of February 2026 for hearing of the interlocutory injunction, pending the adoption of our written address,” he added.
Responding to questions on whether maintaining the status quo is a matter of choice or statutory obligation, the counsel reiterated that it is a well-established legal principle guiding parties once a matter is before the court.
He further advised members of IPAC Ebonyi State chapter and the general public to exercise restraint and allow the court to carry out its constitutional role without interference.
“I advise every member of IPAC and the public to maintain status quo until the court rules otherwise,” he said.
It was gathered that the legal action came amid reports that members of IPAC in Ebonyi State allegedly passed a vote of confidence in Comrade Nasir Ernest Nwaze as the state chairman of IPAC in the state, a development that appears to have deepened internal disagreements and triggered the ongoing litigation.
The court is expected to determine the interim application on February 10, after which further steps will be taken in the substantive suit.
