Aba North State Constituency: As The Emperor Pleases? (1)
By John Okiyi Kalu
Since November 2023 that the Appeal Court removed Destiny Nwagwu of the Labour Party as lawmaker representing Aba North State Constituency at the Abia State House of Assembly, and declared the PDP candidate, Hon Aaron Uzodike, as the validly elected representative of the constituency, the Labour Party usurper who vowed never to vacate the seat as ordered by the Appeal Court has reportedly been receiving his emoluments, no matter how arranged, and even taking pictures as house member with other LP legislators.
Nwagwu in cahoots with the Speaker of the state assembly, Rt Hon Emmanuel Emeruwa, have taken advantage of Governor Alex Otti’s high handedness and despotic disposition to governance in the state to perpetuate this illegality against the people being members of the same party. This crude illegality and assault on the people’s democratic choice has since continued despite the fact that Hon Aaron Uzodike of the PDP had since been issued his Certificate of Return by INEC.
It bears reminding that the party in power in Abia State, the Labour Party, is the same party led by our beloved democrat, Mr Peter Obi, who has been leading a group of presumably decent young men and women called ‘Obidients’ to demand good governance in Nigeria. Surprisingly, neither Mr Peter Obi nor leaders of the ‘Obidient’ movement have yet expressed outrage about the shenanigans going on in Abia State.
A similar situation involving PDP led government in Plateau State and APC/LP legislators was recently resolved in favor of those who won at the Appeal Court because PDP believes in the rule of law. Not that the party necessity agrees with the ruling. But our LP Governor, Alex Otti, and the leadership of the party have continued to hang onto the gross abuse of our constitution in their newly acquired Abia empire where one man decides right or wrong. .
It is difficult to believe that the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa, obviously acting under instructions from an autocratic Governor Alex Otti – both of the Labour Party – has flagrantly and blatantly thrown our laws under the bus without a word from the national leader of the Labour Party and acclaimed democrat, Mr Peter Obi or any of the LP leaders who daily flaunt their apparently fake democratic credentials before television cameras and social media platforms but turn a blind eye to acts of totalitarianism being perpetuated by LP leader and sole administrator in Abia State.
It is laughable that the same Speaker and his Governor who are products of the law have gloriously denied the people of Aba North a deserved representation in the state house of assembly where the collective resources of Abia State are appropriated every day. Yet, the state is collecting huge internally generated revenue from the same Aba North which is possibly the premier LGA in Abia State.
When Speaker Emeruwa received the Certificate of Return and the Certified True Copy of the Appeal Court judgement in favor of Hon Aaron Uzodike of PDP, he reportedly minuted on the file that he be sworn in on the 18th of December 2023. But when Emperor Alex Otti learnt of the development, he, in his usual autocratic way, allegedly ordered the Speaker not to perform the swearing-in. Sheepishly, the Speaker who is from Uzodike’s neighbouring constituency of Aba South obeyed without considering the consequences and how posterity will judge him.
The latest excuse for not inaugurating Uzodike is that the Appeal Court Judgement never directed the Speaker specifically to inaugurate him. And I ask, did the ruling that affirmed victory of Speaker Emeruwa specifically order anyone to inaugurate him? Did the judgement in favor of Otti at the Supreme Court give specific orders to the Chief Justice of Abia?
The law expects that those ordinarily charged with performance of a lawful duty will do so without further specific directive. Does the Speaker know that inaugurating new members is in his ordinary job description for which he takes more than N10m monthly from our common purse in Abia State?
If Speaker Emeruwa cannot perform the task of inaugurating new members like Aaron Uzodike why has he not resigned?
Why will the appeal court make specific orders when in law the Speaker is the person ordinarily expected to implement the required action? To think that the Attorney General of Abia State does not know that no specific orders are required to perform ordinary duties expected of one is most disturbing. Our Justices of the Appeal Court must not be dragged into satisfying the whimsical and capricious bidding of inherently despotic political actors.
-To be continued
Chief John Okiyi Kalu
Former Commisioner For Information, Trade & Investment, Abia State
10/04/2024
