By Onyekachi Eze
Factors that necessitated the sack of the member representing Ngor Okpala State Constituency at the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Tochi Okereke, have emerged.
If the explanations given by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kennedy Ibeh are to be considered, then, Hon Okereke has actually kissed bye from the State Legislature, unless he re-contest in next political dispensation, 2023.
The House had last week Thursday declared the Ngor Okpala Assembly seat vacant, following petitions that trailed the continued absence of the Lawmaker.
While confusion had surrounded the action of the Speaker, especially as it concerns the Constitutional provisions, Ibeh through his Spokesperson, Ifeanyi Onyekachi has cleared the air.
Trumpeta Newspaper learnt that Tochi Okereke’s sack as an elected House member was not unconnected to his long absence from House Plenary sessions.
Again, he was accused of misrepresentation of his Constituency, which was the reason for his enthronement by his people in 2019, under the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
The Speaker however stated,
“The declaration of the seat of the Honorable Member for Ngor Okpala vacant by the House is a purely constitutional issue in respect of which the Rt. Hon. had no discretion to exercise to the contrary.
“Following a motion moved by the Hon. Member representing Ideato South, the House went into full debate on the merits of the motion calling for the declaration of the seat vacant owing to the fact that the former Member had barely caused appearance at plenary since Chief Emeka Ihedioha left office as Governor of Imo State. The motion which caused the Rt. Hon. Speaker to pause proceedings for about 10mins as he called the Clerk to produce records evidencing the habitual absenteeism of the former Member was resolved in favour of the Constitution as it gained the vote of the Members of the House.
“It is therefore expedient to emphasize that Sec 109(1)(f) which provides that the seat of a Member shall be declared vacant if “without just cause he is absent from meetings of the House of Assembly for a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the House meets in any one year” is sacrosant and does not offer any room for sentiment. The actions of the Member amounted to a gross denial of the good people of Ngor Okpala representation which the constitution frowns at”.
Rt. Hon Ibeh added that the new Leadership of the House has made it abundantly clear that the House will put the interest of Imo people first before any other interest.
“It is therefore no longer business as usual as the Imo State House of Assembly has vowed to join hands with His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma to move the State forward”.
Also giving reasons for suspending the three Members, Honorables; Arthur Egwim, Ngozi Obiefule, and Obinna Okwara last week Thursday’s sitting, the Obowo ranking Member discharged claims making rounds in some quarters that they were suspended for attending the burial ceremony of Chief Uche Nwosu’s mother.
He said anyone making such claim is far from the truth as he (Speaker) sent across his own condolence message even before he emerged as Speaker.
“It is therefore frivolous and spurious for any of the affected House Members to bandit around the falsehood that he was suspended for attending burial ceremony. This claim comes so spurious especially as it was not all the Honorable Members who attended the said funeral were affected by the suspension.
“The Rt. Hon. Speaker is not unmindful of the pains that come with the loss of a dear one for which he wrote the Nwosu family even before his emergence as Rt. Hon. Speaker in commiserating with them and could not have merely suspended Members for identifying with a bereaved Imolite as the thought is merely pedestrian”.
The Rt. Hon Speaker explained thus,
“The Imo State House of Assembly (IMHA), led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Barr. Kennedy Chidozie Ibeh, today, Thursday, announced the suspension of Honorable Members representing Ideato North State Consttuency , Rt. Hon. Arthur Egwim, Member representing Isu State Constituency, Rt Hon. Ngozi Obiefule and her Nkwerre State Constituency counterpart, Hon. Obinna Okwara.
“The suspension was to serve as a deterent for dereliction of duty and business as usual attitude of the Hon. Members who take for granted the business of the parliament in respect of which they swore an oath to effectively discharge their legislative duties.
“The suspended members acted dishonourably by disregarding the resolution of the House for which they themselves gave nod to and willingly committed themselves to.
“Owing to the urgent importance of the 2022 Appropriation Bill presented to the House on the 17th of December, by His Excellency, the Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, the House unanimously agreed to handle the interface with the MDAs, parastatals, ministries, agencies etc, within 3 days to allow for expeditious passage of the Appropriation bill which therefore required full participation and intelligent contributions of all the Hon. Members.
“The commitment by the House Members were made before Imo people and the world at the full glare of the media in respect to which it was honorable that the Members keep to their promises.
“Unfortunately, in utter disregard to the sacrednees of the all important state assignment, the suspended members abandoned the assignment and pursued their private bussinesses and assignment at the detriment of the state which in turn translated to overburdening the responsive Members with loads of assignments in scrutinizing the budget and interfacing with the Heads of MDAs for defence as Mr. Speaker and other House members who kept to the commitment were seen leaving office between 8 and 9pm within the period of budget considerations. This was not to the exclusion of the Assembly staff who had to make extra sacrifice to keep late to ensure that the budget was delivered on record time”.
He however assured that hence he remain the Speaker of the 9th House, the House will not deviate from parliamentary etiquette, towards serving the State better.
