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Tag: Emeka Ihedioha

  • Imo: Supreme Court dismisses ex-Deputy Speaker’s appeal

    Imo: Supreme Court dismisses ex-Deputy Speaker’s appeal

    Former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha lost Thursday  morning in his challenge of Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha’s victory at the last governorship election in the state.

    The Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment  dismissed the appeal by Ihedioha, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election held on April 11. Okorocha was the candidate of the All Progressives Party (APC).

    A seven-man bench, led by Justice John Fabiyi, affirmed an earlier  judgment by the Court of Appeal, Owerri, which held that Ihedioha’s failure to properly serve Okorocha and his party robbed the appellate court the jurisdiction to hear the case.

    The Supreme Court noted that Ihedioha’s failure to indicate, in the appeal processes (documents), addresses of other respondents was fatal to the case.

    They consequently dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit. Ihedioha appealed the ruling.

    The Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had, in a ruling on July 22, dismissed Ihedioha’s petition against Okorocha’s victory on ‎on the grounds that it was incompetence.

    The Court of Appeal, Owerri dismissed the appeal in its decision given on September 3, 2015, prompting the PDP candidate to appeal to the Supreme Court.

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  • Imo: Appeal Court strikes out Ihedioha’s petition

    Imo: Appeal Court strikes out Ihedioha’s petition

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday struck out the case of the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general elections, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, challenging the earlier dismissal of his petition by the state’s governorship election petitions tribunal.

    Delivering Judgment in the crowded court, the Chairman of the Appeal Panel, Justice Jimmy Bada, said that the appeal was dismissed on grounds of improper service of summons on the respondents, whose addresses were not properly listed.

    Justice Bada further explained that the issue of service is fundamental in law and the rules of the Court of Appeal and therefore struck out the case for lack of merit.

    The tribunal had earlier thrown out the PDP candidate’s petition for improper filling.

  • Ihedioha vows to reinstate sacked youths

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, yesterday launched his campaign with a road show, which crippled economic activities in Owerri.

    The campaign train, which took off at the Ihedioha Campaign Organisation headquarters, went through the major streets, resulting in a gridlock.

    The colourful motorcade was hailed by PDP supporters.

    In some areas, traders and artisans believed to be loyal to Governor Rochas Okorocha booed the campaign train.

    At ‘Eke Onunwa’ market on Douglas Road, the traders waved brooms, swept the footsteps of the PDP supporters and chanted pro Okorocha songs.

    Commuters also chanted: “Rochas we know, APC is our party”. “Enough of PDP deceit in Imo”.

    Addressing his supporters at the party’s secretariat, Ihedioha promised to reinstate the 10,000 youths sacked by the Okorocha administration and overhaul the health and public institutions. He also vowed to revive the ailing industries.

    He accused the governor of “dubiously” acquiring plots of land belonging to the state for his private use. The PDP governorship candidate said his administration would observe due process in the award and payment of contracts.

    Okorocha has advised politicians to engage in issue-based campaigns.

    The governor in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, assured the candidates that his administration would ensure a peaceful political atmosphere for campaigns.

  • Ihedioha slams Araraume for flagging-off governorship campaign

    Ihedioha slams Araraume for flagging-off governorship campaign

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, on Friday condemned in strong terms the recent road show staged by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, who is laying claim to the same PDP governorship ticket in the state.

    Ihedioha in a statement signed by his Campaign Director, Chief Chris Okewulonu, cautioned the former Senator to “immediately put an end to these ill-advised activities that are inimical to the electoral successes of our great party in Imo State and clearly injurious to the prevailing peace in the state.”

    “Our attention has been drawn to the unfortunate road show along the streets of Owerri by people who are not indigenes of Imo State and organized by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume one of the governorship aspirants who contested the December 8 ,2014 party primaries which Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha won and purporting himself as new governorship candidate of our party (PDP).

    “This false claim and regrettable action of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume has no doubt bemused our party faithful and Imo people in general. One therefore, wonders if they are deliberate campaign, designed to provoke the PDP family in Imo State to engage in violence which could jeopardize the expected electoral success of the PDP in the forthcoming 2015 elections.

    “It is also regrettable that the APC led Imo State Government is already celebrating this unwarranted conduct of Senator Araraume over the airwaves.”

    The statement added, “it is noteworthy that these condemnable activities of Chief Godwin Ifeanyi Araraume are contrary to sections 58 (1) a, b, c, f, h, i and j of the Constitution of our great party being aimed at causing disaffection among members of the party, promoting fractionalization of the PDP family in Imo State and unauthorized publicity of disputes within the party.

    “The State Working Committee (SWC) led by the Imo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie as well as the National Working Committee (NWC) being the relevant authorities of our great party had severally issued statements affirming Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as the winner of the governorship primaries and governorship candidate of our great party for the 2015 elections.

    “As our brother and compatriot, we habour no malice but enjoin Senator Araraume to see good reason as a party man and discontinue these ill-advised activities inimical to the electoral successes of our great party in Imo State and clearly injurious to the prevailing peace of the state.”

  • PDP Reps caucus meets at Aso Villa

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives on Tuesday met behind closed-door in the new Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    As the hall was not accessible to journalists, it was not clear whether the caucus met with President Goodluck Jonathan or Vice President Namadi Sambo as another closed-door meeting with some service chiefs was on-going at the same time in the President’s office.

    The House of Representatives PDP caucus was led by the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. House Leader, Mulikat Akande was also in attendance.

    Also at the meeting was the PDP Deputy National Chairman, Uche Secondus.

  • Ihedioha wins Imo PDP governorship primary

    Ihedioha wins Imo PDP governorship primary

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha has  emerged  the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State.
     
    The governorship primary  held at the Grasshoppers International Handball Stadium was supervised by some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) in conjunction with some national officers of the party from Abuja amidst tight security.
     
    Ihedioha polled a total of 346votes to beat his closest rival, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume who scored 336 votes, while former governor Ikedi Ohakim had 213 votes.
     
    The exercise which commenced by 2pm with the accreditation of 1064 delegates comprising both statutory and ad hoc delegates from the 305 electoral wards of the 27 local government areas of the state ended by 12 am.
  • Photo: New Yam festival

    Photo: New Yam festival

    Deputy Speaker, House of Reps. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha under the watch of Ezeji Titus Ihuoma inspects the New Yam ban during the 2014 Iri JI Mbaise National Cultural Festival held at Chioma Ajunwa Stadium Afo-oru Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, Imo State last Friday 15/08/2014.
    Deputy Speaker, House of Reps. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha under the watch of
    Ezeji Titus Ihuoma inspects the New Yam ban during the 2014 Iri JI
    Mbaise National Cultural Festival held at Chioma Ajunwa Stadium
    Afo-oru Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, Imo State last Friday 15/08/2014.
  • Ihedioha decries education standard

    Ihedioha decries education standard

    House of Representatives’ Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha has decried the standard of education in Imo State.

    Ihedioha, who spoke at the official distribution of scientific equipment at the Holy Ghost College in Owerri, the state capital, said stakeholders were concerned about the situation.

    He noted that no society could make meaningful progress without an educated population.

    “The state’s quality of education has become a primary concern to stakeholders. We are talking of not just education for its sake, but education that will lead to self-reliance. We are talking about education that will lead to industrial and the technological progress of our state.”

    The deputy speaker disclosed that the programme was designed to support the educational needs of pupils and to complement the efforts of government and the private sector repositioning education.

    The deputy speaker stated: “For educational progress to be made, we need to appraise where we are coming from, where we are and where we are going to. Sometime ago, a group of experts were commissioned to study and determine the level of preparedness by secondary schools in Imo State, in terms of equipment, re-agents, materials and qualified teachers, in teaching both basic and advanced sciences. The findings showed that funding for science education in Imo is low.”

    He lamented that the implication of the low funding of science education was that pupils in the secondary schools could complete their education without exposure to the basic experiments required in sciences.”

  • Ihedioha dissociates self from campaign posters

    Ihedioha dissociates self from campaign posters

    The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has dissociated himself, from posters in parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, suggesting him as a presidential running mate on the platform the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.

    His Press Sceretary, Mr. Oke Opia said, yesterday, that he remained a member of the PDP and asked public to ignore the posters.

    He said the pasting of the posters was the handiwork of mischief makers.

    “The deputy speaker is fully focused on, and committed to rebuilding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nationally and in Imo State where he has remained a bulwark of the ruling party since the opposition took over the reins of government at that level in 2011,” Opia said..

     

     

     

    He said nothing can distract the deputy speaker and other leaders of the party in Imo State from working conscientiously ýfor the party.

  • How African parliaments can fight corruption, by Ihedioha

    How African parliaments can fight corruption, by Ihedioha

    House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha has outlined steps parliaments in Africa can take to support the battle against corruption.

    Ihedioha spoke at the weekend at the 45th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (Africa region) in Arusha, Tanzania.

    The Deputy Speaker noted that corruption is a major factor stifling development in African countries.

    He said parliaments should lead the war against corruption on the continent.

    According to him, among the measures parliaments can take is the need to enact legislations which protect whistle blowers and anti-corruption crusaders and Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, which empower citizens to have access to information from government agencies.

    Others, he said, is the need to ensure press freedom, adequately funds for anti-graft agencies and ombudsman bodies, including placing them on first-line charge of the consolidated revenue of various African Countries and forging partnerships among the media, community-based organisations (CBOs), faith-based organisations (FBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the anti-graft crusade.

    Ihedioha also said other measures include making laws that strengthen and re-position the Judiciary to enforce a rule of law regime; encouraging capacity-building for law-enforcement officials, such as the police, anti-graft agencies, the Office of the Auditor-General and ombudsman bodies through training and retraining and intensifying oversight responsibilities of parliaments to ensure that government projects and programmes achieve value-for-money.

    The Deputy Speaker suggested that the legislature should enact Fiscal Responsibility Acts to guide all concerned in the due processes for the formulation and implementation of budgets/Appropriation Acts and enact Public Procurement Acts, which emphasise international best practices in contract regimes and processes.

    Ihedioha said efforts by Nigeria’s National Assembly towards tackling graft in the country include passage into law of the Public Procurement Act; Fiscal Responsibility Act; and the Freedom of Information Act, adding: “We are presently considering a Bill to amend the Nigerian Constitution to separate the office of the Attorney General from the Minister of Justice. The proposed Attorney General will be an independent professional lawyer whose appointment and removal will not be controlled by the executive branch. He is expected to restore the integrity of public prosecutions especially for corruption cases.

    “It is also proposed to strengthen the financial independence of the office of the Auditor General, Attorney General, Police and National Security Agencies by placing them in the first line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Nigeria. This is an attempt to insulate these Agencies from financial control and free them up to perform the task of fighting corruption.  Financial autonomy for the state legislature and the local government are also being canvassed in our proposed amendment. The National Assembly of Nigeria has strengthened her oversight mechanism. Over the last four years, we have exposed corruption through diligent investigation of the activities of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”

    Drawing further from Nigeria’s experience, the deputy speaker identified other measures African legislatures can apply in the battle against graft to include institutionalising Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for government projects and programmes; adoption of African Union’s Peer Review Mechanism where countries can assess the achievements, challenges and shortcomings of others, using the Millennium Development Goals as standards; encouragement of private initiatives of Bodies like Mo Foundation which honours past public officials that distinguished themselves in terms of honesty and integrity; adopting a code of ethical conduct for all parliamentarians and other public servants to regulate their conduct with respect to conflict of interest situations; reform of systems of tax collection to eliminate areas of leakages; and encouragement of African Nations that are yet to ratify the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption and other international Protocols on anti-corruption to do so and to domesticate these protocols/conventions as part of their National Laws.

    Debunking claims in some quarters that corruption is culturally linked to Africa, Ihedioha identified six common denominators of corruption in African countries to include weak legislative and judicial; lax enforcement of the rule of law; high levels of political patronage; low independence and professionalism on the part of public and private sectors; weak civil society lacking the means to hold perpetrators to account; and lack of free and vibrant press.