By Onyekachi Eze and Onyinyechi Amakaulo
Prince Eze Madumere needs only few days to still operate as the Deputy Governor of Imo State, if the pace the members of the State legislature are going about his planned impeachment are considered.
After much incriminating silence over allegations of plot to impeach the Deputy Governor, members of the state legislature, led by Rt Hon Acho Ihim, on Wednesday, changed to speed gear in the quest to remove Madumere.
Since things fell apart between the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his erstwhile political soulmate and Deputy, Madumere, rumours of planned impeachment have been endless until this week the lawmaker intensified the action.
A pragmatic posture to Madumere’s removal commenced on Tuesday when members of the House surprisingly appeared at the chamber for plenary session.
Trumpeta recalls that in the last plenary session held last week, the members took a long adjournment to August and failed to hear the report of the committee set up to hear the cases of four lawmakers suspended previously on allegation related to unparliamentary conducts.
Instead of revisiting the case of the suspended persons, the lawmakers gave a signal of their intent to go ga-ga by firing another House members, Hon Donatus Onuigwe of Oru West who was suspended and sent to the cooler too.
After shifting the Oru West lawmaker to the side of the sanctioned House members, the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Ugonna Ozuruigbo presented to Speaker Ihim a notice of Gross Misconduct against the Deputy Governor.
In the petition signed by the 13 House members, including Ozuruigbo, Chinedu Offor,(Onuimo) Ikechukwu Amuka (Ideato South) Lawrence Duruji (Ehime Mbano) Uche Ejiogu (Ihitte Uboma) Henry Ezediaro (Oguta),Maxwell Odunze (Orlu) Lloyd Chukwuemeka (Owerri North) Chike Madumere (Nkwere) Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba) Ngozi Obiefula(Isu) Victor Onyewuchi (Owerri West) and Arthur Egwim (Ideato North), the lawmakers who said they are in excess of one third of membership pursuant to 5.188(2) and (11) of the 1999 constitution, “hereby give notice that we are of the opinion that Prince Eze Madumere, Deputy Governor of the Imo State of Nigeria, has committed gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of this office”
The members submitted particulars of misconduct which hinges on absence without official reason or permission duly obtained from office for a period of three months, failure to perform any of the constitutional function of office of Deputy Governor of Imo State including but not limited to; failure/refusal to attend constitutional mandated proceedings of the State Executive Council; Failure/ refusal to attend constitutional mandated proceedings of the State Security Council; Refusal to attend, and to hold meetings with the Governor and commissioners of the Government of Imo State for the governance of Imo State made compulsory by and under section 193(2) of the 1999 constitution, concealment of felonious conduct affecting the presentation of self as eligible candidate of office of Deputy Governor, Imo State, having been convicted and imprisoned for theft in the United States of America.
Immediately, member representing Obowo state constituency, Hon Kennedy Ibeh was mandated to head the committee and report back on Wednesday.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, tension filled the complex as security operatives took over the state legislature, while visitors including House members were frisked by police stationed at strategic entrances into the lawmaking house. A member, Hon Mike Iheanetu (Aboh Mbaise) was embarrassed when a mobile policeman had to struggle to make way for his entrance into complex.
The security checks, Trumpeta learnt were put in place to bar protesters suspected to be from Mbaitoli who came to demonstrate against the actions of the lawmakers.
After giving account of his committee’s investigation, Ibe’s report was committed to the committee of the whole House, which prompted Ezediaro and Duruji, both petitioners to further back the accusation against Madumere adding that it needs urgent attention of the House.
A motion was moved by the Majority Leader, Lugard Osuji tagged “Gross Misconduct” with its contents not made available to few Journalists allowed in for the plenary. Based on the report of the Ibe led committee, a recommendation that the Deputy Governor deserves a strict and through investigation having allegedly contradicted the allegations against him based on the misconduct and abdication of his office and another motion to direct the Chief Judge of the State to set up a panel of seven-man committee of unquestionable characters to investigate the Deputy Governor as enshrined in the constitution.
The report of investigation is expected on 17th of July, the date the House adjourned to.
Meanwhile, a mild drama occurred when Iheanetu, a PDP member walked into chamber to inquire what was at stake as the other lawmakers moved to sign the letter requesting the Chief Judge to raise a panel for the investigation. He was summarily asked to go and sit down by the majority of the members made up of APC. The Aboh Mbaise lawmaker quietly went to his position before the Speaker merely informed him that the “deed has been done” before his arrival.
Speaking to newsmen who confronted him, Iheanetu said, “I have no contrary opinion, the Imo State House of Assembly has taken a stand. But what will pain me is the processes by which any parliamentary conduct is exhibited. The parliament world over is a “Jankara market”.
He concluded that, “in as much as the Imo Assembly has embarked on investigating erring office holders, it must go round, irrespective of whose ox is gored”.
Those who signed for the CJ to raise a committee are Honourables; Ugonna Ozuruigbo (Nwangele), Obinna Egu (Ngor Okpala), Ngozi Obiefule (Isu), Uche Agabige (Orsu), Emma Orie (Ohaji/Egbema), Lugard Osuji (Owerri Municipla), Marcel Odunze (Orlu), Arthur Egwim (Ideato North) Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba), Uche Ejiogu (Ihitte Uboma), Chinedu Offor (Onuimo), Lloyd Chukwuemeka (Owerri North) Lawman Duruji (Ehime Mbano), Ikechukwu Amuka (Ideato South), Chika Madumere (Nkwerre), Kennedy Ibeh (Obowo), Henry Ezediaro (Oguta), and Victor Onyewuchi Ikonne (Owerri West) bringing it to a total number of nineteen.
In a related development, the Imo State House of Assembly also suspended the member representing Oru West State Constituency, Onuigwe over alleged unparliamentary conduct, as the House said “he is forth with suspended till the report of the said committee is received and resolved by the House”
Meanwhile, a statement from the media aide of the Deputy Governor reads “The first claim of absence is rather an old ploy of calling a dog a bad name to hang it. Fortunately, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere is an administrator per excellence who does joke with his duties especially his constitutional responsibilities. As such he has never absconded from office the period so claimed. He is constitutionally saddled with the responsibilities of superintending Boundary commission. By our records, the Deputy Governor of Imo State has never abdicated from such responsibility or any other. People of Umuoma of Ihitte-Uboma Local Government, Ihube of Okigwe local government among others can testify of the Deputy Governor’s sagacity in crises resolution with particular reference to April 11, April 16 2018.
His Excellency also participated in one day retreat for Stakeholders in the management of Nigeria boundaries, which held at the Airforce Conference Center, Abuja in the company of the Surveyor General of the State and the Principal Secretary to the Deputy Governor on May 7, 2018.
“Refusal to attend Constitutional mandated proceedings of the State Executive Council is also one of the allegations that cannot stand any administrative procedure. There are laid down procedures through a Deputy Governor or any member of the executive Council can be invited for Executive council meeting. We hereby state that the Deputy Governor has never been invited for such meetings through either a memo or any official notices and thereby cannot stand against the deputy governor.
“As stated above, the Deputy Governor can only attend a meeting he is officially invited to and he is no spirit to know when meetings are slated except he is duly informed.
“Refusal to attend, and to hold meetings with the Governor is to say the least another exercise in triviality as the Deputy Governor cannot force himself on the Governor especially when he has been tagged a pariah in the Government circle. We state here that Governor Okorocha has never created such opportunity to meet with the Deputy Governor to discuss the programmes and activities of the Government other than the once we embarrassingly hear by the road side and other sources. To this extent, where the Deputy Governor’s inputs are needed, there are right procedures through which he could be reached either through his Principle secretary and other principal officers or directly to the Deputy Governor.
“The most embarrassing among the spurious allegations is the annoying allegation of concealment of felonious conduct affecting the presentation of self as eligible candidate of office of Deputy Governor of Imo State. This is not only astonishing but an extreme show of lack of due diligence. The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere has never been convicted of any civil matter let alone a criminal matter.
We are pained to state that two times the Deputy Governor had to go through the pains of losing his freedom in detention were all in the course of saving Owelle Rochas Okorocha from public disgrace. He rather had to carry Okorocha’s cross and bore his shame. It will be recalled that Prince Madumere shortly after Achike Udenwa’s victory at the polls in 1999 where he had to face contempt of Court for failure to make it to the court. He was in detention in the United States for about one month all because he was delayed by Governor Okorocha. To the glory of God, Prince Madumere was acquitted of all charges. We also challenge the members of the House of Assembly to produce the verdicts of the court that convicted Prince Madumere.
“The second time he had to stoop that Governor Okorocha may be spared of the humiliation of getting incarcerated, Prince Madumere again yielded and was detained for almost two months on phony charges, which he also been absolved of all charges”.
