Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, and some members of the state legislature may be guests of the Nigerian Police Force, Abuja in connection to the purported court judgment of a said Calabar Court which they acted upon to conclude that Eze Cletus Ilomuanya was liable to criminal conviction.
It would be recalled that the Imo State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC Hilary Eke, has been having running battle with police authorities in the past few weeks culminating in his arraignment before a Magistrate Court, in Abuja, where he was not only docked for alleged forgery and defamation of character but also detained at Kuje Prisons, Abuja, until stringent bail conditions imposed on him are met before granting him freedom.
Embattled Eze Ilomuanya who have been having altercation with the Okorocha government since 2011, petitioned the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Abuja, over an advertorial Ekeh placed in national dailies whereby the said APC Chairman claimed that a Calabar Court had allegedly convicted him some years ago. Pique by the public notice, the monarch of Obinugwu reported to police claiming that Eke be investigated and source of the “purported” judgment which according his lawyer does not exist be unravelled.
Similar to what Eke is going through who as at press time is yet to be left of the work, Trumpeta learnt that Speaker Uwajumogu and about five Members of the House are likely going to visit police headquarters in Abuja to also explain how the received, acted and confirmed that a petition by one Clement Obodo, later named Ikechukwu Obi, that referred to the said Calabar Court conviction.
Based on the foregoing, a fresh petition was reported to have been filed against the state lawmakers who on December 13, 2011, allegedly adopted a resolution on report of an adhoc committee set up by the Speaker based on the said petition. Ilomuanya’s lawyer may have asked the police to also verify the source of the petition which the lawmakers deliberated on and evidences the House relied on to adopt the report asking the governor to go ahead and dethrone Ilomuanya based on their conviction arising from the petition.
The Uwajumogu led state legislature in a suspicious manner claimed it received a petition from one Clement Obodo alleging that Ilomuanya suffered criminal conviction in a Calabar Court which should disqualify him from holding the position of Obi of Obinugwu Ezeship. The suspicion became rife when the House changed the name of the claimant from the said Clement Obodo to Ikechukwu Obi after Obinugwu people trooped en masse to the Assembly complex to protest the lawmakers’ action by stating that no Obinugwu person bears the name “Clement Obodo”.
On the said day of Dec 14, 2011 day the Assembly members took on the members, it took them only three hours to act on a report of the committee hurriedly raised by the speaker, an action that is averse to due process in the legislature. Members of the committee were Honourables Innocent Ekeh, (Owerri West) Kevin Obioha (Njaba) Adaku Ihuoma (Ahiazu) and Acho Ihim (Okigwe). The committee is headed by member representing Ngor Okpala, Emeka Nwofor.
According to the report of the committee, after conducting investigation, the governor should go ahead based on their conviction of the sanctity of the purported petition as alleged by the Obi.
However, Ilomuanya rushed to court to counter the resolution of the House and succeeded in obtaining judgment through Justice Nnadi who on March 20th, 2013 quashed the decision of the House. Till date, the state lawmakers has neither challenged the court action nor reacted that their resolution was based on existing facts.
Since the Imo Assembly are regarded as partners in propagating of the purported Calabar Court matter, police men acting on the petition are said to be launching man hunt for the elected members of the House, believed to have been involved in the resolution. Those said to be affected and likely to answer police call is the Speaker, Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Nwafor and his committee members.
Trumpeta learnt that because of their esteemed status, letters of invitation may be extended to visit Abuja police for interrogation.
