The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Imo State chapter has disclosed that its Governorship candidate in the 2019 Imo Governorship election, and the immediate past Governor, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha went to court to challenge illegality and not to evade probe.
In a Release in Owerri yesterday by the Secretary of PDP Imo State, Nze Ray Emeana, he said that it was necessary the PDP puts the record straight as there is this insinuation that Hon Emeka Ihedioha was afraid of facing probe on the alleged missing N19.63B during his seven months administration hence he ran to court.
The PDP maintained that Ihedioha is ready any day to appear before any officially constituted Panel of Inquiry or Committee, provided it followed the extant rules and regulations, and therefore appearing at any Committee or Panel that did not follow constitutional regulations by Ihedioha means promoting illegality.
He said that as a seasoned Lawmaker Ihedioha only went to court to charge those concerned to follow due process and he will appear to answer for himself.
The PDP through its State Secretary disclosed that the investigation which the Imo State Government alleged to have carried out through the office of the Auditor-General of LGAs which alleged that the sum of N19.63B was missing was based on Interim Report, which he said is flawed by section 129(1) of Imo Local Law 2005 as amended.
“Based on section 129(1) of Imo State Local Government administration (as amended) Law 2005, His Excellency wants the court to determine whether the Interim Report covers only the Ihedioha administration from May 29, 2019 to January 14, 2020”
The party said that the section authorized for a full fiscal year auditing, which would be sent to the House of Assembly Public Account Committee first, who after investigation, will then invite those found wanting and be given fifty days to defend themselves.
“But in this case, the House of Assembly has not even investigated the matter talkless of knowing its content, only to send out invitation, even when the Government had already carried out Media judgment on the person involved” PDP said.
The party went on to state that not only that the Law does not deal with “Interim Report” in such cases, the Report in question includes the months when the administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha was in office which muddles up the entire document.
“They were in a hurry to indict Ihedioha and forgot to separate the seven months he governed Imo State from that of Okorocha’s regime” Emeana said.
The Imo PDP also explained that the Imo House of Assembly Public Accounts Committee PAC set up to investigate the alleged missing sum did not follow due process as it violated all the grand norms of setting up such Committees.
“It is imperative for the court to clarify whether the composition of the Public Accounts Committee PAC of Imo State House of Assembly for the probe is inline with the relevant extant Laws, parliamentary rules, conventions and procedures” the party said
The PDP explained that the Imo House of Assembly Public Account Committee as presently constituted is not only chaired by a member of the ruling party, but populated by members of the Ruling majority party without one single opposition minority party member.
The party said that in the Rules of Imo House of Assembly, it is the member of the Minority Party that should head the Committee, and not the majority party.
“This is against the rules of the House. He who goes for equity must have clean hands. This particular error of judgment by the House has made that Committee not only null and void but set up for vengeance” PDP said.
It would be recalled the Government of Imo State under the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma had alleged that the Auditor-General of Imo LGA had discovered that the sum of N19.63B was misappropriated from Imo LGA Accounts in the last one year, within period the Ihedioha administration spent only seven months in office.
The Government sent the Report to Imo House of Assembly urging the Legislature to investigate the matter.
Therefore, Ihedioha in a suit in Imo State High Court No 284/2020 sued the Imo House of Assembly, the Speaker and the Clerk, restraining them from inviting him to face the Committee.
“We note that the current regime, having failed to convict Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha on their media trial wants to exploit the option of the Legislature to achieve their sinister plan to establish an infraction where there is none” PDP maintained.
