MAGAZINE STORY: THE EXECUTIVE/LEGISLATIVE COLD WAR IN IMO

In this report anchored by Chibueze Eronini, it exposes a looming Cold war between the Imo State House of Assembly and the Executives which tend to spark off a legislative/Executive Row in the State.

IN THE BEGINNING

Ever Since the Imo House of Assembly was inaugurated in June 2011, what has pervaded the Imo landscape is a relationship said to be a harmonious between the Executive and the Legislature. 

 The political romance began when the House led by member representing Ihitte Uboma State Constituency, Rt Hon Benjamin Uwajumuogu led some members to defect to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) after being elected to the Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They later metamorphosed to be principal officers of the House, thus giving Governor Rochas Okorocha’s political party- APGA- the edge to be in the majority.

 As typical in Imo politics where political arm twisting is the normal practice, the defection of Uwajumuogu and others was said to have the fingerprints of the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha who needed his political party to be in the majority in the House of Assembly as a strategy to cage the sinuous tentacles of the main opposition political party in the State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The romance blossomed to a height as the legislature severally aided the policies of the Okorocha Administration without let or hindrance. Several Bills from the Executive were easily passed into Law by the House. This aroused critics in the State who described members of the House as playthings of the Executives. In some parlance, the House was described as a rubber stamp and an extension of Government House, Owerri.  

Political Analysts in the State contended that the romance eroded the constitutional role of the legislature which was expected to serve as a check and balance on the Executives.

Several actions of the Governor such as disregard for Due Process, the sack of 10,000 job seekers, deduction of 1% of Workers salaries, which was considered abnormal never attracted the concern the of the lawmakers. This situation strengthened the position of critics who stated that the Uwajumuogu led Assembly is a mere appendage of the Executive Arm of Government.  To put the icing on the cake, the Governor rewarded the Speaker’s loyalty when he handed over all contracts for the construction of all roads to the Speaker, rather than the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso who doubles as the Commissioner of Works. The office of the Speaker handled all road projects in the State except payments. This has been countered severally by aides of the Speaker who argue that it is false that the office of the Speaker was in charge of road contracts in the State. Rather, they stated that it was the Deputy Governor who doubles as the Commissioner for Works that handled all road projects including payments.

A source in the Speaker’s office told this blog ‘That is the erroneous impression bandied about against the Speaker. At no time was he in charge of road constructions or any other projects undertaken by the Executives. How can the Speaker whose duty it is to put the executive reduce himself to the task of constructing roads? It is not true. This is sheer balckmail’ 

.THE DIBIAGWU SAGA

What blew the bubble or put a crack on the wall of the executive/legislative romance was the issue concerning the swearing in of the Member of Oguta State Constituency, Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu. Dibiagwu of the PDP defeated other contenders in the Oguta re run House of Assembly elections and was duly issued a certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Executive was said to be appalled at his victory for several reasons which bordered on the election of Owelle Rochas Okorocha as governor of Imo State. This prompted desperate moves orchestrated by Government House to frustrate his Swearing In.  It was gathered that Governor Okorocha’s camp feared that if the Oguta representative was sworn in, it will not only give the opposition PDP some numerical advantage, but also give credence to claims of the party in the State that the April 28^th, 2011 Governorship election in the area which was cancelled by INEC was won by the party. The PDP has consistently claimed that Oguta election was won by its candidate and then Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim. They contended that if the election that produced Dibiagwu was upheld by the Electoral Commission, there was no basis to cancel the Governorship poll since it took place same day.

Some PDP stalwarts who spoke to this blog on the issue said the Oguta Assembly polls will strengthen claims of the party that it won the governorship election in the area and this remain a key factor to their conviction that there was no basis for a supplementary election that took Okorocha to Government House, Owerri as governor.  

Sensing a legal loophole that may be a serious point of reference in several litigations trailing his election as governor of Imo State, the Governor was alleged to have arm twisted the House of Assembly not to swear in Dibiagwu.

This sparked off tension in the State.

The House apparently responding to the dictates of the Executive postponed the swearing in date of the Oguta representative. This led to protests by the people of Oguta LGA who severally besieged the Imo House of Assembly Complex demanding the swearing in of their elected representative.  At a point, militants in the area joined the fray, threatening to cause mayhem in the State if Dibiagwu was not sworn into the hallowed chambers of the House.

The House did not bulge to these intimidations as several litigations for and against the matter sprang up. While the legal fireworks in the matter were on, members of the House on the promptings of the Executives went on vacation to South Africa. Assembly sources said the vacation was a ploy designed by Governor Okorocha to ease tension and delay the Dibiagwu matter pending when the Courts make a pronouncement on the issue.

The South African trip later turned out to be the Governor’s albatross. The lawmakers were said to have used the vacation to discuss the matter extensively. Some of the lawmakers, this blog gathered, were said to have raised concern that their integrity and reputation was at stake if they fail to tow the right path on the issue. Some of them stated that it will be unfair and against the grain of commonsense if Dibiagwu who was certified winner of the Oguta re run election was not sworn in.

Barely five days after the lawmakers returned home, the Speaker was said to have convened an Executive session where the matter was discussed and reviewed again. Most members stood their stance. This eventually led to the swearing in of the Oguta lawmaker early last month.

This development was alleged to have infuriated the Governor who accused the Speaker and the House members of betrayal despite the fact that he sponsored the South Africa Vacation trip of the lawmakers. A source said the thinking in government circles is that Speaker Uwajumuogu is ‘playing a PDP script’ prepared for him by his numerous friends in the PDP to bring down the Okorocha led APGA government in the State.

‘We are convinced that something has gone wrong. We are beginning to see the hand of Esau in the Speaker’s latest actions. He is acting a PDP script. Remember he is the younger brother to Chidinma Uwajumuogu, a powerful PDP stalwart who sits as Imo State representative in the PDP Elders Council. He has a lot of PDP friends’ said a source close to the corridors of power in the State.     

 It was gathered after Uwajumuogu’s action, things have gone awry in the relationship between the numbers one and three citizens of the State to the point that the Speaker has stopped attending public functions with the Governor. His absence was noticed at the 50^th birthday ceremony of Governor Okorocha and the 10^th Anniversary of Rochas Foundation Colleges held in Owerri, an event graced by international and national figures such as former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsangarai and seven State Governors.

THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR FACTOR   

The plot to impeach the Speaker became more intense after the birthday ceremony of the Governor. This blog learnt that the Deputy Governor is in the forefront of the campaign to remove the Speaker. The Deputy Governor allegedly invited lawmakers at a secret location for a meeting. Only seven members of the House showed up. Twenty other members declined the invitation.

Since then, there have been subterranean moves by the executive to get more members to back the impeachment plot. This move was said to have backfired as majority of the members are said to be solidly behind the Ihitte Uboma born Speaker whom they say has been ‘nice’ to them since he mounted the saddle as the Speaker.

As a reprisal attack, the House came out smoking last week when in a resolution it directed the Deputy Governor and the Finance Commissioner, to cease forthwith further payments to contractors handling road projects in the State. It also invited the Deputy Governor to a Special session of the House.

Moving the motion on the floor of the House recently, members’ uniamously adopted a Motion moved by the Member Representing Onuimo State Constituency, Hon. Robertson Ekwebelem which sought a stop to further payments on road constructions in the State pending after the Committee on Roads And Special Projects completes inspection of roads constructed by the present Administration across the State. Most of the lawmakers supported the move on the basis that the Governor was unfair when he told them in a meeting that of the numerous roads constructed in their constituencies, only three might be completed before the yuletide season sets in.

But an Assembly source said the move to invite the Deputy Governor is to impeach him.  Some say that the Deputy Governor has come on the searchlight of the House for several reasons. Reports have it that he is been nailed for deliberately hurting members of the House over road constructions in the State. A source revealed that members of the House are unhappy that the Deputy Governor ignored several requests from members who at interval recommended to him some contractors to handle some of the projects. This the Deputy Governor allegedly ignored.

‘This has placed him on a war path with the Members. They are furious with him for neglecting them and this may be a factor that will compel them to impeach him’ a source in the House of Assembly revealed.

However, political analysts said that the issue of impeaching the Deputy Governor does not arise wondering how a Deputy Governor can be impeached by the House when there are no sufficient reasons or material facts to do so.

Efforts to speak to the Deputy Governor were futile, but an aide who pleaded anonymity said there is no love lost between him and the House.

Hear him ‘All these trash you see in the press are their imagination. There is no problem between the House and the Deputy Governor. That the House invited the Deputy Governor to explain how has he has managed road contracts in the State is no issue. It is normal and not something one should loose sleep about. It is normal for the House to invite him or any Government functionary to explain certain things. I do not know why we magnify things out of proportion here. Who told you that the Deputy Governor and the House are at loggerheads, who?