Emerging report indicates that there is panic in Imo State, over the likely sack of 17 out of the 27 Lawmakers of the State House of Assembly, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Action Alliance, AA, and All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, after the sack of former Governor Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP by the Supreme Court, and the emergence of now incumbent Governor Hope Uzodimma of the APC.
Recall, that at various times since 2019, the Lawmakers in question defected to the All Progressives Congress.
Motivated by the recent developments that saw to the sack of the Governor of Ebonyi State, his Deputy, and the State Lawmakers, as well as 20 Lawmakers in Cross Rover State, by the Federal High Court in Abuja, a group of persons have dusted up a suit they filed against the defection of the 17 Lawmakers at the Imo State House of Assembly.
The case was instituted by the Legal Defence and Assistance Project, Chijioke Nwachukwu, Chibuzo Ekene, and Mmerole Modestus, against the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Clerk of the Imo State House of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attorney-General of the Federation, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Collins Chiji, and the current Deputy Speaker, Amarachi Iwuanyanwu, and 15 other Lawmakers.
In the suit no. FHC/Ow/27/2020, filed by their Counsel, Nath Epele and Co., the Plaintiffs are asking the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri, the State capital, to declare the seats of the Defendants vacant, by virtue of the fact that they defected from the party that brought them to power to another party.
Former Speaker, Collins Chiji, representing Isiala Mbano, had abandoned his former party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, under whose platform he got to the House, and declared for the PDP, which won the 2019 Governorship election, in order to grab the Speakership.
However, a few days after the January 14, 2020, Supreme Court judgement which sacked Emeka Ihedioha and declared Hope Uzodimma of the APC as Governor of the State, Chiji, along with other Members, moved to the APC, to retain his position.
Chiji and the Majority Leader of the House, Chigozie Nwaneri, announced their defections on the floor of the House, while others wrote letters of defection.
Others who were elected under the AA, but also dumped the party and joined the APC are: Uju Onwudiwe, Ngozie Obiefule, Johnson Duru, Arthur Egwim, Obinna Okwara, Heclus Okoro, and the current Speaker, Kennedy Ibe.
Those who dumped APGA, under whose platform they were elected to the State House of Assembly for the PDP, and later to the APC are: Amara Iwuanyanwu, who is the current Deputy Speaker, Chidiebere Ogbunikpa, Paul Emeziem, Ekene Nnodim, and Onyemaechi Njoku.
Those who dumped the PDP for the APC, are the current Majority Leader, Kanayo Onyemaechi, former Majority Leader, Uche Oguagu, Eddy Obinna, and Samuel Otibe.
At this time, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
However, many indigenes of the State have urged the group to ensure that they pursue the case to its logical conclusion.
More news later…