An Equipment Supply Company, WALLHOUSE West Africa Ltd has dragged the Imo State House of Assembly to court over row surrounding invitation of the company to appear before the Imo House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts.
In the originating summons from High Court Owerri, Imo State, Suit 279/2020, the company joined the Speaker of Imo House of Assembly Rt Hon Chiji Collins in the matter.
WALLHOUSE is asking the court to declare that “it is ultra vires the power of the Defendants under section 128 and 129 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic, 1999 as amended to investigate the contract awarded to the plaintiff by the 27 LGAs in Imo State for the procurement of equipment to be used in the construction and maintenance of Roads and streets in every LGA in Imo State”
In a supporting affidavit sworn by the General Manger of the company Martin C Agba ESQ, he said that the company signed a memorandum of agreement on September 19,2019 with Association of Imo State Local Government Transition Committee Chairmen for procurement of 27 machines (Caterpillars) of which the sum of( N945,000,000.00) Nine Hundred of Forty Five Million Naira was paid the company in tranches.
However, according to the company, out the 27 Units, a total of 17 Units have been delivered to the present Imo State Government, which he said was delivered to Imo State Government by the chairman of WALLHOUSE, to the Chief of Staff Imo Government House, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie.
The Manger said that the remaining 10 Units are already in Nigeria, but stuck in Lagos due to the problem caused by Covid-19 Lockdown.
The company however stated in its affidavit that contrary to the statement by the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Hon Declan Emelumba that WALLHOUSE had received the sum of N1,215,000,000.00 Billion for the business, WALLHOUSE only received N945,000,000Million Naira.
However, the company was invited by the Imo House of Assembly Public Account Committee investigating the alleged missing N19.63B in the Ihedioha regime. Therefore, WALLHOUSE is asking the court to determine “Whether by virtue of the provisions of section 7 (5) and paragraph 1 (F) of the 4th Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended the Local Government Councils in Imo State in exercise of their functions can award contract to the plantiff for procurement of Equipment to be used in the construction and maintenance of Roads and Streets in every Local Government Areas in Imo State”.
