Lawyer drags Imo speaker, 19 lawmakers to court
An Owerri based legal practitioner, Nelson Okedinachi has approached the Federal High Court, Owerri, to declare the seats of the speaker and 19 other members of the Imo state House of Assembly, who defected from their various political parties to the All Progressive Congress (APC) vacant.
The lawmakers defected from the Action Alliance (AA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to the ruling APC.
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In the suit number FHC/OW/CS/20/2020, the lawyer asked the court to determine whether based on Section 109(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the defected lawmakers were not liable to vacate their seats as members of the state House of Assembly having defected to the APC.
In his reliefs, Okedinachi is seeking an order to declare the lawmakers’ seats vacant pursuant to the same section of the constitution.
He also prayed the court to direct the affected lawmakers to return to the state treasury, all salaries, allowances and benefits paid to them as members of the state assembly.
The plaintiff further sought for an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately conduct elections into the constituencies of the affected lawmakers.
The affected lawmakers include the Speaker, Chiji Collins (Isiala Mbano); Majority Leader, Chigozie Nwaneri (Oru East); Amarachi Iwuanyanwu (Nwangele); Innocent Egwim (Ideato North); Dominic Ezerioha (Oru West) and Chidiebere Ogbunikpa (Okigwe).
Others are Obinna Okwara(Nkwerre); Paul Emeziem(Onuimo); Ekene Nnodimele(Orsu); Johnson Duru (Ideato South); Michael Njoku (Ihitte Uboma); Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba) and Ngozi Obiefule (Isu)
The rest are Herculus Okoro (Ohaji Egbema); Uche Ogbuagu (Ikeduru); Kanayo Onyemaechi (Owerri West); Kennedy Ibeh (Obowo); Eddy Obinna (Aboh Mbaise); Samuel Otuibe (Ahiazu Mbaise) and Pascal Okolie.
The members of the state House of Assembly of PDP extraction defected to APC following the removal of Chief Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of the state by the Supreme Court in its judgment of January 14, which thereafter declared Senator Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected governor of the state.
