Imo Assembly On Amendment, Repeal Spree
If there is anything this present house of Assembly, under the leadership of Speaker Chiji Collins could be remembered for, it is their eager to either amend existing laws or repeal them.
Activities of the 9th House, 3rd Assembly since the inception of governor Hope Uzodinma’s led administration in Imo State can never be complete without counting the number of bills seeking to amend or repeal an existing laws.
Although the House of Assembly which is the 3rd arm of government can not be totally sieved from the other arms, Executive and the Judiciary, some of the amended laws can be said to be targeted at pleasing executive.
Since the executive has to follow the laws of separation of power, it resorted to getting an easy ride through the legislature, always represented by the Majority leader as an Executive Bill.
However, taking a peep into some of the affected laws so far, on the 11th March, 2020, the governor signed into law, the Criminal Justice Administration Act.
Secondly, was a law on Covid-19 and other infectious disease prevention law and it’s spread in the State, signed on 24th April, 2020.
On May 8, 2020, two bills were also affected. They include the Waste Management Agency law, and the Land use act. The land use act according to the amendment called for the revalidation of the certificates of occupancy.
On the same vein, the State Assembly on their sitting on May 23, 2020 repealed the governors and speakers pensions and privileges.
This singular bill which was recently assented by governor Uzodinma is receiving both kudos and knocks from the public.
Repealing the bill, it was seen as a mess to be paying past governors and speakers pensions whereas the money could be used for something more pressing.
The fifth law amended was the law establishing the Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences from Aboh/Okpala to its original place in Umuagwo.
Other laws recently amended and repealed by the Collins Chiji’s led Assembly were laws; the autonomous communities law, through which the Community Government Council, CGC, established by Rochas Okorocha’s led administration was abolished.
The same law empowers governor a go-ahead order to be appointing the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the Imo State Council of traditional rulers, which automatically brought an end to campaigns and elections by the monarchs themselves.
In a related development, the bill amending the Imo Licensing and control of oil mills was passed into law, thereby adding punitive costs to defaulters.
[12:25, 10/06/2020] +234 803 398 8607: Minority Caucus In IMHA Unrelenting
The axiom that majority always carries the vote may soon be disputed beginning with the Rt. Hon Collins Chiji’s led ninth House, third Assembly of Imo State.
This is because the calibre of men and women in this dispensation from both the Majority and Minority groups could simply be referred to as being energized.
Suffice it to say that even though the hushing voice emanating from the majority members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, can be intimidating, the few in the opposing side of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP have proven to be unrelenting.
Members in the minority are six in number, against the 21 in the majority.
Recently, motions and bills that were debated on the floor of the House saw knocks and die hard criticisms from the minority.
Unperturbed by their number, a strong voice from the opposing side is the member representing Oguta Constituency, Frank Ugboma.
Although as the Deputy Minority leader, he never loses voice in standing firm while holding the floor.
When the bill on the amendment of relocation of University of Agriculture from Aboh/Okpala to Umuagwo was laid on the floor, he was vocal in reiterating his position as a lawmaker.
While he supported the passage of the bill, he vehemently opposed the motion on probing of TC Chairmen and Treasurers that served under Ihedioha. His reason was because an already established committee on similar but same issue is yet to present its report.
His assertion and refusal as an opposition was part of the causes of the obvious bickering brewing between him and the majority leader, Uche Ogbuagu.
[12:25, 10/06/2020] +234 803 398 8607: Lawmakers Turn Imo Speaker To Provost
For every meeting or association, there is always someone appointed to act on the capacity of a provost, whose main job is to regulate peace and order while the gathering lasts.
But for a legislative house, it is the duty of a Chief whip.
Against this backdrop, the recent activities in the Imo State House of Assembly ranging from agreement and disagreements could be said to have turned Speaker Collins Chiji to a high ranking provost.
Recently, in a course of having members to either say “Ais” or “Nah”, the lawmakers ends up shouting above their voices.
In what appeared to be near exchange of blows, the Speaker was forced to stand up and kept repeating, “Honourable members it is okay”, before waring factions could chill.
Again, last week plenary session was not an exception as Trumpeta Assembly Vibes watched with bemusement how the speaker was made ‘a peace maker’ within a blink of an eye.
[12:26, 10/06/2020] +234 803 398 8607: Crown Weeps Over Death of Constituents
It was a pathetic scene during the last Thursday’s plenary session of the Imo State House of Assembly, as member representing Ihitte/Uboma LGA went pathetic and shedded tears over the recent tragedies that befell one of the communities.
Engulfed with compassion, the youthful lawmaker, Hon. Michael Onyemaechi Njoku, popularly known as Crown while presenting a motion of matter of Public Urgent Importance broke down in tears.
He said it became worrisome when Lowa community in Ihitte/Uboma had witnessed strangulation of women who went to their farmyard by unknown people.
In his statement, it happened on the 19th of March, repeated on the 20th of April, and lastly on the 3rd of June 2020, respectively.
However, he described it as a mayhem which if didn’t given utmost attention may continue and finally instill fear into women from going to their farm land.
Meanwhile, the House of Assembly resolved to urge the governor to charge all the security operatives to dig deep into unravelling the remote cause and culprits behind the mysterious deaths of the women which occurred within a space of 3 months.
“Ihitte/Uboma LGA is the food basket of Imo State, and reason for such deaths remain worrisome. It pierces my heart to see my people losing their lives day in, day out. All we need is result and adequate security of lives and property”, Crown said.
[12:27, 10/06/2020] +234 803 398 8607: Ugboma Vs Ogbuagu; Who Blinks First As Reconciliation Move Begins
The die is cast between the members representing Oguta and Ikeduru LGAs, Honorables Frank Ugboma and Uche Ogbuagu respectively over differences that ensued recently on the floor of the House.
If the sound of war raging between the two lawmakers are not properly checkmated, it may enter an alarming stage.
The worry now is, who goes for each other’s jugular first. It is either Ugboma carries out his threat of going to court or Ogbuagu takes another means to wage war.
The battle ensued following an inclusion of the Oguta member in a motion by Ogbuagu without first obtaining permission.
Thinking it may have ended with a note of warning handed on the mover of the motion before he departed from the chambers, the lawyer turned lawmaker is threatening a law suit for an alleged defamation.
While the Ikeduru lawmaker was reported to have addressed Ugboma as a ‘lukewarm lawmaker’, the later is not finding it funny, hence his moves to drag the popular comedian to a court.
The big questions awaiting answers are whether both are ready to make amends or would they prefer to continue the power flexing.
Meanwhile, available information has it that concerned lawmakers including the House leadership are trying to meddle into the affair to ensure it doesn’t go beyond rhetoric’s.
