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Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has recalled the sacked Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of the state, Cyprian Akaolisa.
Uzodinma had on May 12, sacked Akaolisa and 19 other Commissioners, leaving eight others.
The governor, however, on Monday reversed the decision, announcing that he never sacked Akaolisa, who is currently barred for five years from practising as a lawyer by Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee(LPDC).
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, in a statement said that the governor never sacked Akaolisa as the chief law officer of the state.
The statement read in part: “The Imo State Government wishes to acknowledge that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr C.O.C Akaolisa, was never among the commissioners dropped when the executive Council was dissolved a few weeks ago.
“This error which occurred when I was announcing the commissioners retained by His Excellenc,y the Executive Governor of Imo State, Sen Hope Uzodimma, is highly regretted. I accept responsibility for this error.
“Consequently, the government has directed that the Hon Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr C.O.C. Akaolisa should immediately resume his normal duties as he was never dropped from the state cabinet.”
On Akaolisa’s ban by LPDC, the statement said that the state government would respond after the channels of appeal on the ban had been exhausted.
“Our laws are clear on this. An accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The ban had been appealed and the Imo State Government would take a position on it after the channels of appeal on the matter have exhausted,” the statement said.