Tag: Chukwuma Nwazunku

•Deputy Speaker’s faction locked out
•Attacked by thugs

Supporters of the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly Chukwuma Nwazunku yesterday attacked a faction loyal to Deputy Speaker Blaise Orji on the premises of the Assembly on Nkaliki Road, Abakaliki.

In a manner reminiscent of the National Assembly fracas, members loyal to Orji were locked out by the Nwazunku faction, as the House reconvened.

The faction loyal to Nwazunku gathered at the Speaker’s residence on Onwe Road, Abakaliki and drove in a convoy, escorted by over 200 youths, to the Assembly.

As the sitting began, with only the 10 members loyal to Nwazunku present, the Orji faction stormed the House, but were barred by policemen led by an assistant commissioner of police.

They alighted from the coaster bus. After  argument and persuasion, they were allowed to enter the premises.

As they approached the outer entrance into the chambers, they found out that the door was locked from inside.

This angered the members, who threatened to break the door if they were not allowed in to participate in the sitting.

They argued that it was their right.

As they attempted to enter the House through one of the windows, they were attacked by youths who allegedly came with the Speaker.

A legislative aide to a House leader, Mr. Ifeanyi Onweoga, was beaten up by suspected thugs. He was taken to the Government House clinic.

The hoodlums dispossessed lawmakers of their belongings.

One of the victims was the Leader of the House, Sam Nwali, whose phones and money were stolen.

The legislator sustained a deep cut above his eyes and was treated at the clinic.

He scaled the fence of the Assembly when he was about to be lynched by suspected thugs.

Other members were, however, guarded out of the premises by the security personnel attached to the Deputy Speaker.

The hoodlums attacked a reporter and the publisher of Conscience newspaper, Mr. Charles Otu.

Minutes later, Commissioner of Police Maigari Dikko stormed the premises with police officers and arrested over 50 suspected thugs.

The Nwazunku faction denied the allegation.

It spoke through Frank Onwe, who accused the Orji faction of causing the fracas by smashing windows when sitting was on.

Dikko debunked the allegation that the police supported the Nwazunku faction.

His words: “I was not there when the incident happened. We are investigating it. It is not true that we are supporting any of the factions. We are very professional.”

The Nwazunku faction passed several motions during its plenary attended by 10 of the 24 members.

They include: rejection of the compulsory retirement of some principal officers of the House, such as the clerk, cashier and sergeant-at arms, among others, as announced by the government.

The House removed Mrs. Chinyere Acho, whom the government appointed to replace the Clerk, Mrs. Roselyn Nwokporo, “because she was not qualified to be a clerk.”

The Assembly condemned the N15billion bond facility sought by the  government, noting that the administration would not complete the projects before leaving office in May.

An Abakaliki High Court yesterday refused the motion filed by the Helen Nwaobsi-led faction of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly seeking to stop Chukwuma Nwazunku from parading himself as the Speaker.

The Assembly has been in crisis since July 21, when 18 members allegedly removed Nwazunku and replaced her with Nwaobasi.

But Nwazunku, backed by nine other members, headed to the court to stop Nwaobasi from parading herself as the Speaker.

But Nwaobasi, who was supported by 13 lawmakers, filed a counter-motion seeking to stop Nwazunku from parading himself as Speaker.

Ruling yesterday on Nwaobasi’s motion, Justice Chinyere Ken Eze said the status quo before the impeachment should be maintained pending the determination of the substantive suit.

She also ordered the Chief Judge to reassign the matter to another court since the vacation court would end on September 12.

Justice Eze condemned the Nwazunku-led faction for sitting when the matter was still pending in court.

She said: “I want to defer with the submission of the counsel to the first respondent (Nwzunku) and state that all parties should have stopped all activities as a mark of respect for the court, pending the determination of substantive suit.

“The implication is that if any party ignores the ruling of the pending application on the interlocutory injunction, such a party will not be allowed to use the present condition to legally acquire the ruling before this court.”

Ebonyi State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Chukwuma Nwazunku, sat yesterday at the assembly complex amid tight security.

The sitting followed the declaration by the Ebonyi State Governor Martin Elechi last week after a meeting of the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the impeachment of Nwazunku was null and void.

Members, workers of the Assembly, reporters and others who attended the sitting, drove in a convoy with the Speaker and security officials of the assembly complex.

At the entrance of the complex, over 50 security operatives including the Police, the State Security Service, (SSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who were stationed at the Assembly gate since Sunday, screened everybody including the legislators.

The lawmakers, during the sitting, which lasted over two hours, deliberated on issues, which included the personal explanation on constituency matters. Reading the report of the five-man committee set up by the House of Assembly to investigate and make recommendations on the alleged misconduct, other corrupt practices and the impeachment threat to Nwazunku by the suspended Deputy Speaker, Blaise Orji, Eni Uduma Chima and Frank Onwe, the committee chairman, Vincent Nwibo, said the committee found the three lawmakers guilty of the offence.

Nwibo said the witnesses invited testified against them, adding that when also invited, the suspended legislators  admitted to the allegations levelled against them.

According to him, the three lawmakers in a letter addressed to the Speaker pledged their support to the leadership of Nwazunku, saying they would not do anything that would undermine the legislative arm or bring disrepute to the legislative chambers.

Nwibo said they were suspended for their involvement in demanding gratification from the Speaker before carrying out their functions as well as threatening to mobilise members of the House to impeach the Speaker if he fails to ensure they are given money before passing any bill from the executive arm.

The committee recommended the lifting of the suspension on the three lawmakers and invoking the same suspension if after recall, they engage in any act capable of causing a breach of the peace in the House.

The motion for the lifting of the suspension was moved by the member representing Onicha East, Odefa Obasi Odefa and seconded by the member representing Ohaukwu North, Mabel Aleke.

The lawmaker representing Abakaliki North, Oliver Nwachukwu and the member representing Ikwo South, Ogiji Chike Imo, urged the House to lift the suspension, stressing the need for the Assembly to temper justice with mercy.

Nwazunku put the motion to a voice vote and it was adopted by the members.

Also moving a motion for a vote of confidence in the Speaker, the member representing Ikwo South, Chike Imo, eulogised the qualities of Nwazunku, describing him as a peacemaker and God-fearing.

He enjoined members to support the motion. It was seconded by Oliver Nwachukwu, which resulted in an ovation for the Speaker.