ANAMBRA LAWMAKERS DRAG OBIANO TO COURT

ANAMBRA LAWMAKERS DRAG OBIANO TO COURT

A faction of the Anambra State House of Assembly loyal to the new Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Ikem Uzoezie has dragged the state Commissioner of Police, Garba Umar, Gov. Willie Obiano-led executive arm of government and others to court over the seal of the Assembly complex.

The faction disclosed this to Anaedooline on Sunday in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The new Speaker, Uzoezie, said he was aware of plans by those sued to aid the Hon. Rita Maduagwu faction to remain in power, despite having been impeached.

He said nothing would revert the impeachment of Maduagwu that was carried out on 13th of November by about 25 out of the 30 members of the House.

He described the sealing of the Assembly by the police on the alleged instruction of the state government as “executive recklessness and madness”.

Uzoezie vowed that the lawmakers in the state must be liberated from the shackles of those who were “stooges and robots” to the executive arm; adding that the lawsuit against the police commissioner and Obiano would commence on Monday, November, 26.

He said, “The police are well aware that what they are doing is illegal. We’ve drawn the attention of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the Anambra CP to the Legislative Activities Act, 2017, that was assented to by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, telling them that their action is unconstitutional.

“That their action is an attack on the institution of democracy and that there is a jail term to it if they so persist to seal the complex.

“By Monday, November, 26, our processes will be in court. We have briefed our lawyers on what to do. On Monday, both the police and the executive will meet us in court.

“We only require basic police presence to safeguard government property and not sealing off our premises and restrict members of staff of the Assembly from having access to their offices and workplaces which we find so disheartening at this point in time”.

He said his group had also written to the National Assembly, drawing its attention to the police action in Anambra, believing that NASS would intervene and stop the invasion of the state assembly under any form or guise.

While calling on well-meaning Nigerians to call the police, Governor Obiano and his aides to order in the meddlesomeness in the Assembly, Uzoezie vowed that nothing would make the impeached Speaker return to office.

He said, “This is third and last time. Two times the governor has intervened. No, she has been impeached. There is no going back; no further remedy or intervention. Like the Bible says, what’s written is written. The only thing left to her now is to manage her remaining days in the Assembly as a member.”