By our reporter
The Eight Members People's Democratic Party, (PDP) lawmakers in Ebonyi State House of Assembly have described the action of the embattled speaker Hon. Ogbonnaya Nwifuru and other 15 APC lawmakers in the house in declaring the seats of three PDP lawmakers vacant as ridicule to court ruling by Justice Ekwo.
Hon. Oliver Osi who stated this while briefing journalists on behalf of seven other members of the PDP lawmakers, in Abakaliki, noted that the purported removal of his colleagues by the embattled speaker and 14 other sacked lawmakers are lacking in constitutional Powers.
He noted that a court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, had sacked the 15 lawmakers on defection suit filed by the People's Democratic Party, (PDP) and said they are yet to obtained a stay of execution order or an appeal on the judgment, which has consequently made thier sitting to be unconstitutional.
Hon. Osi, who said that he is the temporary speaker of the house, (by law) said that the 15 sacked members have ceased to be lawmakers of the State House on thier defections to the APC in November 2020 and validated by Justice Inyang Ekwo's judgment of 8 March 2022.
According to him, "It's no longer news that on March 8, 2022, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a landmark judgement , ruled that 16 persons who are that time were members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly had ceased to be members of the House having abandon their mandate and resigned their membership by their voluntary defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress, in November 2020. The effect of this is that the following persons , from the date of the ruling if March 8, 2022, are no longer members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly: Hon. Francis Nwifuru; Kingsley Ikoro Ogbonna; Benjamin Ezeoma; Onu Nwonye; Nkemka Okoro Onuma; Anthony Nwegede; Chinedu Onah; Chinedu Awo, among others.
"It is pertinent for the general public , particularly , Ndi Ebonyi to note that up till today, March 16, 2022, the judgement has neither been successfully appealed nor has a stay on execution granted in respect of same.
"However, in a deliberate attempt to undermine the judiciary and ridicule the extant ruling of His Lordship, Justice Ekwo, Hon. Nwifuru, aided by the police personnel of Ebonyi State, led 14 others of the aforementioned former members (excluding Hon. Odefa Odefa) to invade the hallowed chambers of the the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, purportedly declared vacant the seats of three members (Victor Aleke; Mrs Franca Okpo and Ali Okechukwu), then adjourned sitting for three months.
"The House has since instructed its legal team to commence contempt of Court proceedings against the aforementioned imposters.
"We make bold to say that neither the former speaker , Hon Francis Nwifuru nor indeed any of the aforementioned former members of the EBHA possesses the power, authority or right to declare the dear of any member vacant or to adjourn the sitting of the House or act howsoever in the office of the Speaker or member of the EBHA, having resigned their membership and being validly removed from office by the extant judgement of a Court of competent jurisdiction.
He called on the members of the public, Indigenes and residents of the State to remain peaceful and calm as the State House of Assembly resolve it's crisis in no distance.
"While I implore Ndi Ebonyi to continue to exercise restraint in the face of serial flagrant abuse and insult to our collective sensibilities, I want to assure all Ebonyi people and residents that the Ebonyi State House of Assembly will soon sit to elect new Principal Officers and then continue with their legislative functions of lawmaking, oversight and representation."
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