Imo Legislature and Probe Panel against Uwajumogu
Last week came the report that the House of Assembly under the Leadership of speaker Benjamin Uwajumogu had constituted a probe panel to look into the allegations of contract awards and alleged fraudulent activities within and around the office of the speaker.
Just as an unbiased umpire, Imo Trumpeta did not boarder about it since as a media house, its primary duty is to inform and educate the public irrespective of where the information is coming from.
Again this Newspaper has made several attempts to ensure that this matter is resolved earlier than today without inflicting more bruises on the play makers.
Unfortunately, the more this Newspaper continued to distance itself from the knitty gritty and controversy of this matter, the more the Newspaper is being dragged into the matter which it has no vested interest.
Apparently, while the House of Assembly constituted its panel to look into the veracity of the allegations leveled against its leadership by Citizen Samuelson Iwuoha, the committee either by omission or error invited Imo Trumpeta to appear before the committee.
As if the committee members are unfamiliar with their function, one starts to imagine the business of Imo Trumpeta in a matter where Citizen Samuelson Iwuoha in writing leveled several allegations against the office of the speaker and the speaker himself.
While we maintain and insist that we do not want to join any issue with anybody in this matter which obviously has nothing to do with us, this Newspaper strongly maintain that the Imo state House of Assembly particularly its leadership should blame itself for whatever negative attack it is getting currently.
This is simply because our present day Legislators abandoned their constitutional law making functions to that of road contract awarding and execution.
As a responsible media organization which stands as the voice of the people, Imo Trumpeta will always be objective, factual, fearless and balanced in all its reportage and this commitment is our bond to our numerous readers.
Taking a critical look at the panel as constituted, it may not be an over statement to say that the committee/panel as constituted is grossly incompetent and therefore has no moral justification to invite anybody to its judgement table in pretence of probing the speaker over allegations of corrupt practices.
The speaker merely assembled his surrogates for the purposes of absolving him from the so called allegation with a view to describing the accuser, Citizen Samuelson as an alarmist. But unfortunately the matter definitely is beyond this level because of the wild publicity and attention it has attracted.
We are of the opinion that if the house of assembly had meant well and is genuine in probing the allegations, the chairman of the House Committee on projects who unfortunately also has an Asphalt plant alleged to be involved in the racketeering should not be near the membership of the panel. So also people like Acho Ihim, Ikenna Emeh, Obioma Ekennia et al.
Imo Trumpeta perhaps for the final and last time is saying it loud and clear that it has no vested interest in the ongoing controversy at the House of Assembly and do not want to join any issue with anybody on the matter.
Ours as a responsible media organization is to educate the masses, inform them adequately with undiluted information as well as stand as the voice of the voiceless at all times irrespective of who is involved.
Revival of Imo PDP, Kudos To Chukwueke’s Committee
Since after the epoch visit to Imo State, by his Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan to receive back decamped political juggernauts tagged “unity Rally”, Nigerians, especially Imolites have not stopped applauding that mamount crowd that welcomed our indefatigable president at the Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri.
That was the outcome of the hardwork of a descent and courageous youngman who believes that nothing good comes easy and he kept on searching. Let me call your attention to the state of PDP immediately after the 2011 gubernatorial election which the great PDP failed to win. Its now a story. Just after, that, many bigwigs of the party abandoned the party to join the winner, then APGA. Good many of them disassociated themselves from the party, even felt ashamed to be identified with PDP. To the extent that for so many months or years there was no rallying point even a meeting to father faithful members like this writer together to ask us to take solace. Our federal lawmakers preferred staying back at Abuja to avoid the shame. Yes this was the state of affairs with this Africa’s biggest party. Members were decamping day-in-day-out.
Recently, they decided to throw away the shame and called themselves together to forge a way forward. They agreed by forming different committees to go back to the people for acceptance. Nelson Mandela of the blessed memory said “Do not judge me by my successes or achievements, but judge me by how many times I failed down and was able to get up”. What remained of the party after this political catastrophe licked their wounds with courage. One of the committees was that of contact and mobilization being chaired by High Chief Jerry Chukwueke. Believe you me, there were about six of them, because of the enormous commitment needed to run these committees, they all absconded and abandoned their responsibilities toward the task of sensitizing and appealing to the people, instead resorted to running their personal campaign outfits. This left the sole duty of this project only to the contact and mobilization committee chaired by Jerry Chukwueke.
As a proven manager of both human and material resources, he employed his long acquired business acumen, a financial manager, to the field. He went round lmo State L.G.A’s with his team to preach and evangelise the gospel of PDP. We need not be told the huge financial involvement of such a project or material time involved also. The end result was the huge turnout that very February day at Dan Anyiam Stadium.
It was a political miracle that day and from henceforth PDP is now on course.
Through that his call and acceptance by the people of lmo to come out shows that High Chief Jerry Chukwueke is well acceptable to the people of lmo State. He reconnected all the disconnected PDP members and more. The sensitization breathed new life and injected fresh air into the party. The party is back on wheels as well as reawakened. They have been spurred into action towards 2015. Jerry, your wealth of experience and vision in Lekki Lagos, capacity and ability with sagacity to cause then moribund PDP to become once alife proves that you can recover lmo, revitalize it and put smiles back to the faces of Imolites if given the chance to do so. Indeed you are “OHAMMADIKE” people know the strong.
Chief Onukogu O.N. 08037586718
