By Daniel Maduka
The Aba Ngwa Peoples Forum, an umbrella body of Ngwa Ethnic Nationality has called on the Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Rt Hon Emmanuel Emereuwa to refrain from any acts capable of plunging Aba the Commercial heart beat of the state into avoidable carnage, under any political disguise.
The Ngwa Forum said it is shocking and completely unfathomable that the State Legislative Body ,under the leadership of Speaker Emereuwa has refused to swear- in Hon.Aaron Uzodike as Member Representing Aba North state constituency ,almost three months after being declared as duly elected by the Appeal Court.
The body alleged that on two occasions ,Hon Uzodike,s swearing- in were stalled ,in moves widely perceived as having the imprimatur of the Dr Otti ,the state Governor,.
According to the Forum,apart from the Governor being scared of having the Peoples Demoratic Party PDP in majority with the swearing – in of Hon Uzodike, Speaker Emereuwa believes that his ambition to vie for a slot in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly in 2027 will be threatened.
The source Magazine reports that the Appeal Court Sitting in Lagos had in November last year nullified the electoral victory of Labour, Party,s Hon Destiny Nwagwu on grounds of improper nomination, and subsequently affirmed PDP,s Uzodike as the rightful winner.
In a Communique issued on Sunday February 4 jointly signed by the President Comrade Chimezie Nwagba and Arch Chinedu Ahuruonye Secretary and made available to the media, the Ngwa Forum wondered on what other legal and moral grounds that the leadership of Abia state House of Assembly is standing to justify its continued refusal to swear-in Hon Uzodike as declared by the highest Court of Jurisdiction in National Assembly Elections Petitions.
” We have it on good authority that the Speaker had on two previous occasion fixed dates for the swearing- of Hon Uzodike ,only to cancel it because he is being influenced by Labour Party,s LP Governor Otti.
We have also noted with utmost dismay that the Speaker has vehemently refused to swear- in Hon Uzodike because of his ( Speaker,s ) ambition in 2027 .
They are also goaded by their quest to ensure that the ranks of Labour Party in the State Assembly is not depleted.
In all ,we are seeing justice and fairness being sacrificed on the alter of selfishness, recklessness, and bloated ambition .
More worrisome is that ,while the lawful owner of the seat of the member representing the good people of Aba North is left in the lurch ,the man who has long been sacked by the Court of Appeal has been illegally occupying the seat with the backing of the Speaker and Governor Otti .
This is official rascality taken too far and it is only in AbiaState that such illegality and recklessness would thrive unquestioned” the Forum stated
The Communique, further noted that ,the Speaker by brazenly lending his office for illegality of this nature and disobedience of Court judgment has no doubt violated the oath of office he took to uphold and protect the constitution of Nigeria.
” We are calling on Abians of good conscience to join us in asking the Speaker this compelling question- If it were a member of the Labour Party that was declared the winner by the Appeal Court , would speaker Emereuwa have deliberately disobeyed the court ruling as he is doing in the present circumstance?
We have been carefully watching the rascality playing out at the Abia State House of Assembly and seriously view the unlawful actions of the Speaker as an invitation to anarchy .
It is disheartening that the Speaker has drawn a clandestine plan to throw Aba and Abia state in general into civil unrest ” the Forum .
In the interest of justice ,and peace Hon Uzodike should be sworn -in as a member representing Aba North state constituency within the next 7 days as we may not be able to forestall the crisis that may result from any further delay
This, also should serve as a notice to security agencies in the state that crisis is brewing in Aba.” the Forum stated.
