Ebonyi: House of Assembly Crisis Thickens

--As Eight PDP Lawmakers Declared Authentic Members --Say Resignation Letters' Forged

By Alo David, Abakaliki Sequel to the recent High Court judgement of Justice Ekwo Inyang, lawmakers numbering eight have declared as the authentic members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. This was made known when the Assembly members briefed press on Thursday 17th March, 2022 in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.

The lawmakers who are majorly members of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, gave list of serving lawmakers to include: Hon Chris Usulor, Hon Chidi Ejem, Hon Victor Aleke Umoke, Hon Humphrey Nwuruku and Hon Oliver Osi. Others are,Hon Franca Okpo, Hon Okechukwu Ali Kizito and Hon (Mrs) Lilian Ngozi Eziulo. Recall that the federal High Court sitting at Abuja on 8th March,2022 declared the seats of sixteen members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly vacant on the ground of unlawful defecting from the People's Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. According to Hon Oliver Osi, the clarification became imperative as to clear the air on the speculation making the round by the court sacked All Progressives Congress lawmakers who purportedly declared some of their members seats vacant. Osi explained that the former house members in their usual commando style connived with some security personnel who gave them access to the chamber from where they committed an act he described as treason and unlawfully declaration of members' seats vacant. The lawmaker maintained that the embattled fourteen lawmakers and the speaker of the assembly had ceased to be their members and warned the general public to desist from carrying any transactions in the respect to their former positions. He, however, called on the Inspector General of Police, IG Usman Akali Baba and the state Director General of State Security Service to enforce the law on the embattled lawmakers for bridging the law of the land. "It's no longer news that on 8th March,2022 the federal High Court sitting at Abuja and presided over by his lordship Justice Ekwo Inyang in a landmark judgement ruled that sixteen persons at that time who were members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly have ceased to be members of the house having abandoned their mandate and resigned their membership by their voluntarily defection from PDP to the APC in November, 2020. "The effect of this is that the following persons from the day of the ruling March, 8, 2022 are no longer members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly Viz: Rt Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, Hon Kingsley Ikoro Ogbonnaya, Hon Benjamin Ezioma, Hon Friday Uhuo, Nkemka Okoro Onuma, Hon Onu Nwonye, Hon Victor Chukwu, Hon Joseph Ununu, Hon Chinedu Awo, Hon Onu Nwonye, Hon Chinedu Onah, Hon Chukwu Arinze Lucas, Hon Moses Odunwa, Hon Lilian Chinwe Nwachukwu, Hon Anthony Nwegede, and Hon Chukwuma Igwe. "It's pertinent for the general public and particularly, Ndi Ebonyi to note that up until today, March 17th, 2022 that the judgement has neither been successfully appealed nor any stay of execution granted in respect of same. "However, in a deliberate attempt to undermine the judiciary and ridicule the extant ruling of his lordship, Justice Ekwo, Hon Ogbonnaya Nwifuru aided by some security personnel of Ebonyi State led fourteen other members of the afro mentioned former House members excluding Hon Odefa Obasi Odefa to invade the hallow chamber of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, purportedly, declaring vacant the seats of three lawmakers namely: Hon Victor Aleke, Hon (Mrs) Franca Okpo, and Hon Ali Okechukwu Kizito and adjourned sitting for three months recess. "The Ebonyi State House of Assembly under my leadership as Speaker pro tompri wishes to states as follows: that the following fifteen persons ceased to be members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly dating back to November,2020 when they defected to APC and given effect to that by the judgement given by the federal High Court Abuja of 8th March,2022. "The public should know that henceforth, any member of the public, therefore, who deals any business with one or several of them on behalf of Ebonyi State House of Assembly does so in his or her own risk. "That the house has since instructed his legal team to commence content proceeding against the afro mentioned impostors. "That neither the former Speaker, Hon Ogbonnaya Nwifuru nor indeed any of the afro mentioned former of Assembly members posseses the power, authority or right to declare the seat of any of the member vacant or to adjourn the sitting of the house or act how so ever, in the office of the speaker or member of Ebonyi state House of Assembly having resigned your membership and being validly removed by the extant judgement of Court of competent jurisdiction. "That the invasion of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and the purported sitting by the former members are act of treason and accordingly, null and void and of no effect whatsoever, except to the effect that the perpetrators must answer to their crimes. "That the document branded by the former Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Ogbonnaya Nwifuru Purported to be a resignation letters of Hon Victor Aleke, Hon Franca Okpo and Hon Ali Okechukwu Kizito are forged and must be disregarded. "If you take a careful look at those letters you will observe that they were worded thesame way, signed thesame way and date were in 2021. how can someone resigned since 2021 and their letters being read in 2022? "I call on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Akali Baba and the director general of the State Security Service, Yusuf Magaji Buchi to investigate the serial crimes of forgery and high treason perpetrated by the former Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and fourteen others. "The police and other security agencies in the state and such action by him will help to be inimical to this noble objective, while I employ Ndi Ebonyi to continue to exercise refrain in the face of serial fragile abuse and insult to our collective sensibilities. "I want to assure all Ebonyi people and residents that Ebonyi State House of Assembly will soon seat to elect new principal officers to continue with their legitimate function of lawmaking, oversight and representation while urging the embattled former members to focus their attention on the legal debacle that have wishful pushed them into, when they defected from the party that sponsored them into office to one that lost election, rather than his fruital effort as instigating crisis in and dissemination of Ebonyi State House of Assembly. "I wish to state categorically that none of our members have in any way thought of resigning our position.