A Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, on Friday delivered a ruling that clears the way for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to continue its investigation into two former members of the Abia State House of Assembly.
The judgement ends legal attempts by the ex-legislators to stop the anti‑graft agency from inviting them for questioning about activities linked to their time in office.
The two men, Hon. Kalu Chikwendu and Hon. Apugo Chukwudi J., had gone to court to block the Commission from summoning them over a petition alleging corruption.
They argued in separate cases that the part of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act of 2000, which the ICPC used to call them, clashed with rights guaranteed under Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution.
In its decision, the Court found that the Commission does have the legal power given by law to investigate matters that involve corruption and other wrongdoing.
The judges also said the section of the Act used to invite the former lawmakers does not go against the constitutional rights they cited.
The Court pointed out that the suits filed by the former lawmakers appeared to be a way to use the court system to stop the investigation rather than a genuine question about the law.
Because of this, the Court threw out all the requests made by the men to stop the investigation. It said allowing those requests would be like giving protection to people trying to avoid a proper inquiry.
The judges also ruled that the cases were started in bad faith and ordered each of the former lawmakers to pay ₦500,000 to cover legal costs.
With this ruling, the Commission can now move forward with its actions regarding the petition against the two former Abia legislators.
This judgement comes as the ICPC continues to pursue high‑profile investigations across the country, showing the courts will support proper legal steps in holding public officials to account.
