By Onyekachi Eze
Revelations surrounding the activities of the Imo State House of Assembly have been unfolded by the Minority Caucus of the 9th House.
This followed the recent developments in the House, where six of the Lawmakers were suspended by the Leadership of the House led by the Speaker, Rt Hon Paul Emeziem.
Two of the lawmakers out of the six suspended are in the opposition platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
However, in a Media briefing yesterday at the PDP party’s Secretariat along Okigwe Road, Owerri, Imo State, the Minority House members numbering seven opened can of worms, and reasons for their ordeals in the House since the enthronement of Emeziem as Speaker.
The Minority Leader, who was a victim of the suspension and member representing Ezinihitte Mbaise, Hon Bar. Anyadike Nwosu in his address accused the Speaker of pressuring to silence any voice of dissent in the Assembly.
Anyadike disclosed that the Speaker’s intolerance to opposition voice is compared to none in the history of Imo State House of Assembly, adding that he has reduced the Assembly into an appendage to the Executive Arm of Government.
The Minority Leader added that in his desires to reduce the Assembly to an appendage of the Executive, Emeziem has been led into more bizarre actions.
“Since his election, Hon. Emeziem has ensured that robust debate and regular sittings by the House have become a thing of the past. The House Rules have been consigned to the waste bin.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the House Rule of the Imo House of Assembly and indeed any democratic Institution insist on fair hearing. If indeed a member is caught behaving or acting in a way unbecoming of a parliamentarian;
“Contrary to the unattainable, porous, and infantile explanation of Emeziem, the truth is that he has been under pressure by the Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma to continue to hound us, intimidate and persecute us for failing to cross over to the APC. A cross over which will only continue to support unpopular policies at the detriment of the majority of Imo people”.
The PDP Lawmakers however posited that no constituency is inferior to the other, as no Local Government is inferior to the other, adding that Rt Hon Emeziem as a Speaker has no right to remove elected member of the Assembly as that will be to the detriment of the people that elected them.
Similarly, Hon Nwosu cited some sections in the Nigerian constitution 1999 (As amended) which clearly stipulates the roles and duties of the State Houses of Assembly.
The minority caucus therefore invited the Speaker to address the following for clarity;
“What were the unparliamentary conducts of the suspended members?
“Where and when did the unparliamentary acts take place?
“Were the so called unparliamentary conduct brought before the House of Assembly in any sitting?
“Was the Ethics and Privileges Committee setup to look into the acts? And what were their findings?
“Clearly, if anyone is guilty of unparliamentary acts, it should be the Speaker who has failed repeatedly to answer the above question?
“We call upon all men of good conscience and the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma to call Mr. Speaker to order, recall the suspended members, and restore peace in the Assembly. Opposition is an integral part of governance and democracy as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. Brigandage, intimidation, persecution and harassment can only breed more crises”
Meanwhile, the Imo State chapter of the PDP has condemned the suspension of two of her members in the Minority of the House. They are; Honourables, Anyadike Nwosu (Ezinihitte Mbaise) and Philip Ejiogu (Owerri North).
Addressing Journalists at the party’s office yesterday, the State chairman, Engr Charles Ugwu, did not only describe the action as unlawful, but unacceptable and unconstitutional.
“While we disapprove the unlawful suspension, we specifically know, for instance, that it is unheard of and thus unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, and unacceptable, that a principal officer of any legislature at National, State and Local Government levels is suspended without the benefit of fair hearing. Our Party is most appalled that such anomaly has been allowed to be recorded in the annals of the Nigerian Legislature, with the IMHA as the trailblazer and guinea pig in the ugly practice;
“We will remind you that some days ago, the Speaker of the IMHA ingloriously announced the suspension of six elected representatives of Imo people in the House, including two from the PDP, which is currently in the minority in the House. The six Lawmakers were suspended in circumstances that our investigations have proved to be unlawful and ultra vires to the powers invested in the Presiding Officers, and the codes of ethics and conduct of the House. They were baselessly accused of being found guilty of “parliamentary misconduct and insubordination”, without any elaboration on the actual meanings of those vague and nebulous terminologies”
Content of the press briefing further reads;
“We have it in good authority that the Minority Leader is a Principal Officer of the Legislature. And by virtue of the elevated office, he has some privileges which preclude his suspension from office for the afore-stated reasons proffered by the Speaker. We find the entire narrative on the suspension of the Lawmakers as a dangerous threat to democracy in Imo State in particular, and Nigeria in general. As a Party, we condemn in its entirety the said suspension and urge the Speaker to as a matter of urgency withdraw the suspension and allow the Lawmakers to continue to carry out the task of representing the people, and make Laws for the proper functioning of Imo State, for which they were elected;
“It is noteworthy that Imo PDP Lawmakers are being oppressed and suppressed by their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC), who happen to find themselves in principal and presiding offices in the House. Not only are their allowances and entitlements cut by nearly 50%, but also they are intimidated, harassed and threatened just because they refuse to budge to pressures to decamp into APC, to inflate the false ego of Governor Hope Uzodinma who, since he was made governor by the Supreme Court on January 14, 2020, has been going the extra-mile to fully pocket the legislative arm of government in the State. We cannot fathom why some members of IMHA would be invited to a clandestine retreat at Abuja, leaving out others, particularly the Imo PDP Lawmakers;
“We note with dismay that Governor Uzodinma has eroded the democratic principles of separation of powers, and checks and balances, arrogating to himself the combined power and authority over all the arms of Government. This Party sees that action of unlawful suspension as highly undemocratic and totally unacceptable. Governor Uzodinma should allow democratic best practices to blossom and flourish in Imo State;
“Those Honourable members of the State House of Assembly are elected by their people to represent their interest and act as check and balance in the democratic Governance of our State. Any attempt to suppress them and gag them is indeed an usurpation of their responsibility and powers and indeed an impeachable misdemeanor;
“Imo PDP is adequately persuaded that it is not normal to suspend people before constituting a panel to hear their own account of the charges levelled against them. Having said that, we charge the Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly to do the needful and restore the Imo Lawmakers that he unilaterally suspended without recourse to rule of law and due process, violating the codes of ethics and conduct of the House. That is about the only way to douse the tension that has been mounting since the unlawful suspension was announced. A stitch in time saves nine”.
The party thereby passed vote of confidence on the PDP Lawmakers for representing well devoid of all pressure.
