By Onyekachi Eze
Yesterday, December 23, 2021 was another record keeping day in the history of Imo State, following a fresh suspension handed on three members of the State House of Assembly.
The plenary session ended with the relieve of duties on the Members for Ideato North, Isu, and Nkwerre State Constituencies, Honorables; Arthur Egwim, Ngozi Obiefule, and Obinna Okwara, respectively.
Barely one month after the removal and suspension of former Speaker, Paul Emeziem, alongside his Orsu and Mbaitoli counterparts; Ekene Nnodumele and Okey Onyekanma, the number of members on suspension has increased to six.
Although the Speaker, Rt. Hon Kennedy Ibeh while announcing that of yesterday warned members against non challant attitude, more reason for their suspension may not be divorced from their presence at the burial ceremony of Uche Nwosu’s mother’s, held at Eziama Obaire, in Nkwerre LGA, on Wednesday.
Ibeh disclosed that it’s an affront in the Legislative setting for a Lawmaker to boycott an assigned function for another.
According to the Speaker, he frowned that no member should keep the House waiting or dodge carrying out any function given to him, and make subsequent reports that might arise from such committee.
Sequel to that, the Speaker dissolved all the Committees headed by all the suspended members.
The dissolved Committees are; Commerce and Industry, Local Governments, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, as well as that of Civil Sevice.
Indications are rife that they may have bagged the suspension following their presence at the burial of Nwosu’s mother.
While none of the top functionary in the Camp Hope attended the burial function, few members of the State Assembly reported at the venue.
Even though the Members for Ihitte/Uboma and Ideato South LGAs were seen at the venue with their colleagues from Isu, Nkwerre, and Ideato North, they escaped the hammer.
The anger of the powers that be in the State may not be unconnected to their participation and pleasantries with the former Governors; Rochas Okorocha and Emeka Ihedioha which went viral on the cyberspace.
Recall that both Okorocha, Ihedioha and Uzodimma have been at loggerhead with each other over political differences.
But unknown to the affected Lawmakers, they went on the condolence visit for the want of maintaining an already established friendship with the Ex Governor’s son in-law and 2019 Imo Guber candidate of the Action Alliance, AA.
Feelers also has it that the Speaker’s point for suspending them without using the usual term, “Unparliamentary conduct” may be purportedly linked to politics, rather than what it was suspected to be.
Meanwhile, another shocker at the yesterday’s plenary was the sack of the man for Ngor Okpala State Constituency.
Through a motion moved by Hon Johnson Iheonukara Duru, and seconded by Hon Chigozie Nwaneri, the House declared the Ngor Okpala seat vacant, and asked INEC to conduct a by-election within 90days.
Hon Tochi Okereke of the PDP was sacked for alleged gross absenteeism and under representation of the people that elected him in 2019.
Iheonukara Duru cited Section 109 of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 as amended.
He said in the case of Tochi Okereke, he has not meet up to the 1/3 of the aggregate in participation of the House for the year.
At this juncture, Speaker Ibeh addressed that for the critical issue of such, the House relies on the provision of the extant Law.
He immediately requested the Clerk of the House to go through the Lawmakers attendance register in order to ascertain if truly Okereke has breached the Rules.
After about 10 minutes of searching through the register, the Clerk informed the House that, on 2019, Hon Tochi Okereke attended sittings only twenty-nine times.
In 2020, according to the Clerk, Okereke attended only fourteen times.
In 2021, the Lawmaker was said to have not appeared even once for plenary session as his name could not be seen in the attendance register.
After that, Rt. Hon. Ibeh opined that it was an adjudication of his responsibility and has jettisoned his responsibility entrusted by his Constituency who elected him to the House of Assembly.
He thereby declared his seat vacant.
Earlier during submission of petitions, two different petitions from Ngor Okpala Youth Movement signed by Comrade Paul Njoku, and another from Chief Duru Abaziem onbehalf of Concerned Citizens of Ngor Okpala petitioned the House over what they termed, “unimpactful representation” by Hon Okereke.
The petitions were presented at the floor of the House by the Oru East Member.
In a related development, the 9th House has passed the 2022 appropriation Bill into Law.
Imo State House of Assembly Bill number 99; A Bill for a Law to appropriate the sum of #365,719,700,576 (Three
Hundred and Sixty Five Billion, Seven Hundred and Nineteen Million,
Seven Hundred Thousand, Five Hundred and Seven Six Naira) to the services of the Government of Imo State of Nigeria for the year ending on Thirty-First day of December, Two Thousand and Twenty Two, 2022, and for other related purposes. This excludes the Consolidated Revenue
Fund Charges of #15,743,247,101 (Fifteen Billion, Seven Hundred and
Forty Three Million, Two Hundred and Forty Seven Thousand, One
Hundred and One Naira), hence a total Budget of #381,462,947,677
Three Hundred and Eighty One Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Two
Million, Nine Hundred and Forty Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and
Seventy Seven Naira) passed the third reading after reading the report of the Budget and Appropriation.
The Speaker remarked that the appropriation Law shall come into force from January 1, 2022.
As at the press time, the Governor, Hope Uzodimma has assented to the Law.
