In a surprising shake-up on Monday, May 26, Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodimma fired the state’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Barr. Cyprian Akaolisa.
The announcement was made in Owerri by the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba, who said the sack was effective immediately.
According to the statement:
“The Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, has approved the immediate removal from the office of the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr C. O. C. Akaolisa.”
The governor also instructed Akaolisa to hand over all government property to the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice.
What makes this even more dramatic is the fact that Akaolisa has been here before. Back on May 12, 2021, Uzodimma sacked him along with 19 other commissioners during a full cabinet shake-up. But just three months later, in August 2021, he was brought back — after the government claimed his initial dismissal was a mistake.
This time, though, it seems much more deliberate — and many political watchers are stunned, especially since Akaolisa was widely seen as a close ally of the governor.
No reason has been officially given for the sudden decision, but it’s already stirring conversations across the state’s political circles.
