The litany of woes visiting the Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, in the law courts increased recently with the embattled number one citizen of Imo state loosing his case against some former members of the Imo State House of Assembly who he denied payment of their severance allowance.
In a ruling by Hon Justice A Ibrahim of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria holding at Enugu, the preliminary objection raised by Governor Okorocha as Defendants/ Applicants for order of court striking out a suit filed by former lawmakers of the Imo State House of Assembly, namely Speaker emeritus Goodluck Nanah Opiah, Ray Emeana, Louis Chukwu, Joe Emenaha, former Deputy Speaker Jonas Okeke and Ignatius Egbuchulem, asking for the payment of their statutory severance allowance and gratuity was struck out for lack of merit and accordingly dismissed.
It would be recalled that as part of the perceived “vengeance mission” of the present administration propelled by Governor Okorocha, fourteen out of the 27 – member House were paid their severance allowance while the remaining were not paid.
Piqued the apartheid tendencies exhibited by the present administration in the payment of severance allowance being statutory entitlement due to former members of the House after four years which previous lawmakers had benefited from, six aggrieved ex – members rushed to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, holding at Enugu, to seek for an order asking the state government and Governor of Imo State to pay them a stipulated amount “being unpaid severance gratuity allowances as members of Imo Assembly between May 2007 and June 2011 which the defendants (Okorocha and Imo Govt) have failed, refused and or neglected to pay despite repeated demands”.
The aggrieved six members went further to demand that the court ask the Governor to pay interest on the aforesaid sum at the rate of 10% per annum from the date of the judgment until the judgment debt is liquidated delivering a judgment in suit No. NICN/EN/64/2012, Hon A Ibrahim stated “I have carefully considered the processes, arguments and submissions of learned counsel on this issue and it is clear to me that the defendants have been properly sued in this application. This is because a careful look at the defendants / applicants, in my humble view, shows that they have the responsibility for the release and payment of funds in the discharge of the obligations of theImoStategovernment from who the claimants / respondent makes his claim for payment of the outstanding allowances and benefits”.
The presiding judge in dismissing the preliminary objection of the state government on the payment further stated “ I am therefore not satisfied that the point made by the defendants / applicants on the inappropriateness of the application for summary judgment in their further written address has any merit and I so hold”.
The ex – lawmakers were represented by Ken Njemanze, SAN, with S. I Okpara while Mrs I Amadi, Chief State Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Imo state stood in for the state government.
