Florence Uwaeme
The chairman of Emohua Local Government Area, Dr Chidi Lloyd, has dragged the PortHarcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) to court for breach of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached between Emohua Local Government Council and the PHED for the restoration of electricity in Emohua LGA.
Hearing of the matter at the State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday, 15th May 2023, was stalled due to the absence of the defendant (PHED)
Lloyd had instituted a Five Billion Naira (N5.000.0000.0000) suit against the PHED for breach of contract to restore electricity in Emohua LGA after paying over Twenty-Four Million Naira (N24,000,000) been the council's part of the funds required for the restoration of electricity in the MoU entered with PHED in December 2022, for which the PHED has failed to carry out.
The Presiding Judge, Hon Justice S.H Aprioku, ordered the counsel to Lloyd and the Emohua LG Council to issue a hearing notice to the defendant and adjourned the matter to 30th May 2023.
The adjournment followed the absence of the defendant (PHED) and their lawyers in court when the matter was called up.
Recall that the chairman of Emohua LGA, Lloyd, had in line with his administration's commitment to reposition the LGA for rapid development approved the restoration of electricity in the area after months of power outages occasioned by the activities of criminals who vandalized the electricity line from Ahoada transmission station to Emohua LGA. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was entered with the management of PHED.
PHED had, during the signing of the MoU, assured that electricity was going to be restored in the LGA before the end of 2022; they specifically promised to ensure that the people of the area celebrated the 2022 yuletide with uninterrupted power supply but failed to keep to their promise and their part of the agreement, after receiving the Local Government's part of the MoU.
