Group Warns Against Ikpeazu Impunity In Obingwa Chairmanship crisis
A group known as Positive Change Vanguard of Nigeria (PCVP), has warned against the level of impunity by Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on the chairmanship crisis in Obingwa Local Government of the state.
The group expressed displeasure and disappointment over the recent swearing in of the Deputy Chairman of Obingwa LGA in Abia as a new chairman conducted by the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Justice, when the democratically elected Executive Chairman, Hon. Michael Ibe Nwoke, has not been impeached, suspended or removed from office by any court of law or the people of Obingwa.
Describing the action that was recently supervised by the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, as the “highest level of impunity and trampling on the rule of law ever seen in any the history of Nigeria’s democracy”, PCVN call on well meaning Nigerians, especially Abia State House of Assembly and members of the judiciary across the country to rise up against “such act that derogates the sanctity of democracy and rule of law in Abia and Nigeria at large.”
According to a press statement jointly signed by its President and National Secretary, Comrade Moses Osundu and Barrister Musa Adams, respectively, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, the group, went on to say that Abia State government used the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, in the State, Barr. Mrs. Uzoamaka Uche Ikonne, the wife of the People Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming 2023 general elections, to conduct the swearing in ceremony.
“We are pained that instead of impeaching that democratically elected local government chairman through the members of the legislative through a due process, Governor Ikpeazu chose to murder the Nigeria Constitution by swearing in a deputy chairman with a Permanent Secretary, the wife of his annointed successor. What a show of shame.
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“We understood that the State Chief Judge and Attorney General of Abia State declined carrying out the unholy act. And we applaud them for standing firm for justice.
“We want the whole world and Nigerians at large to stand up against such impunity as seen being perpetuated by Abia State governor today.
“Let it be on record that Abia Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, cited Section 23, subsection 1 of the Abia State local government law, Number 2 of 2006 as the reason behind him swearing in a deputy chairman to replace a democratically elected executive chairman of a local government area in Abia.
“According to Governor Ikpeazu , that section of the Abia Local Government Law was breached by the Executive Chairman, Hon. Michael Ibe Nwoke, when he defected to another political party, and such must come with consequences. This leaves us to wonder if the same law does not have procedures for such actions. We also tried to uncover if the same law gave the Governor the power to swear in a new Chairman when the democratically elected one has not been impeached or removed from office according to the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria and if the state house of Assembly does not have a say in the process.
“But unfortunately no one have seen the said law. All efforts to lay hold on the said law was not successful as none was sighted anywhere including the website of the state.
“Let it also be known that the 1999 Constitution, clearly underscores the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of the Local government. The same law stated that any action that must be done for the purpose of the functionality of local government must be done within the confines of the provisions of the Constitution. Thus, not even the power of the State House of Assembly under Section 4(7) of the Constitution cannot extend to truncating the tenure of a democratically elected local government council.
“Therefore, we are saying that all the State laws that remove elected officers or that sack local government authorities are invalid,unconstitutional, unlawful, unenforceable, and undemocratic. All actors including Governors that have immunities in enactment of such unlawful laws and sacking of elected officers should be investigated.
Also, the constitution clearly states in Chapter one, Part 2, subsections (5) If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other Law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.
“Section (8) says; Save as otherwise provided by this Constitution, the exercise of legislative powers by the National Assembly or by a House of Assembly shall be subject to the jurisdiction of courts of law and of judicial tribunals established by law, and accordingly, the National Assembly or a House of Assembly shall not enact any law, that ousts or purports to oust the jurisdiction of a court of law or of a judicial tribunal established by law.
“We understand that Governor Ikpeazu is pained by the fact that his Local Government Chairman defected to another political party, a thing that has never happened in the history of the State. However, we urged him to end his governorship in Abia well by upholding the rule of law instead of making a mess here and there to the point of trampling on the country’s constitution.”
