I’ll contest my
illegal impeachment in court – Sacked Enugu deputy speaker
From CHIDI NNADI, Enugu
Friday, November 16, 2007
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• Emeka
Nnamani
Photo:
Sun News Publishing
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The sacked deputy Speaker of the Enugu House of Assembly,
Mr. Emeka Nnamani, a lawyer, says his impeachment was illegal
and unconstitutional. He revealed that he would go to court
to challenge it.
According to him, his colleagues removed him because of his
continued unalloyed loyalty to ex-Governor Chimaroke Nnamani.
The deputy Speaker was on November 8, relieved of his post
by 22 out of the 24 members of the state House of Assembly
on various allegations ranging from his age, dressing habit
and attitude to work, among others.
Nnamani, who was in the House the day the ‘coup’
was carried against him, told Daily Sun that
he was calm during the impeachment proceedings as he knew
that those behind it had brought in touts and policemen to
the Chamber of the House to deal with him if he protested.
As a lawyer, he said he knows he would get justice by resorting
to the law court since his removal did not follow due process
and did not meet the stipulated two-third majority needed
for an impeachment to take place.
In this exclusive interview with Daily Sun,
Nnamani whose Personal Assistant, Mr. Benjamin Agbo, sat behind
him throughout the period of the interview, vowed that no
amount of persecution would make him to abandon the former
governor, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, who he said brought him to
political limelight.
He also narrated how his impeachment was plotted and moves
made by the government to persuade him to abandon the former
governor, among other things.
The beginning of the plot
Three weeks ago, the Speaker of Enugu House of Assembly, Hon
Barrister Eugene Odo called me on phone and asked if I was
among members of the House of Assembly who attended a meeting.
I told him I never attended any meeting with anybody against
the House. I told the Speaker that I never attended any meeting
against him or against the government, but he didn’t
believe me.
A week after, a commissioner in the state invited me to his
house and told me that I was in the bad book of the governor
.
He said that they believe I was in contact with the former
governor. I told him that I was and that this has not made
me to opposed the present government. He said he was going
to put up a write-up for me to sign and they will place it
in the newspaper. I said no.
Based on that, they (the government) decided to remove me
as the deputy speaker of the House of Assembly through the
members of the House. On a Monday night, I received a call
that members of the Enugu State House of Assembly were rushing
to the old Government Lodge to sign an impeachment paper against
me. It was on the morning before our sitting. I rushed to
about two or three of my colleagues and they confirmed that
it was true.
I approached them, asking them the reasons they wanted to
impeach me. Is it because the government is not comfortable
with me because of the former governor? I have never opposed
the present government or said anything bad about the present
government. Why must they impeach me? So, we went to the sitting
that morning and the impeachment motion was raised by Hon
Paul Anikwe, who said that I was incompetent, that I didn’t
have personal aides, I didn’t have official driver,
I didn’t have police orderly.
All these are false.
I have a PA. I have aides. I have an official driver by name
Ohawigbe Okhome from Edo State. This is my PA, Mr. Benjamin
Agbo. I applied to the Ogui Police Station for a police orderly
and the DPO of Ogui Division said I should apply to the Chief
Security Officer to the governor, which I did. He said I should
apply to the Commissioner of Police. I had confronted the
Speaker about that and the Speaker said we should go and meet
the CP of Enugu State, which we did and he promised to release
the police orderly to us. We were in the process.
Two days after, the impeachment came up and they based their
impeachment on that, which was not a serious thing. They said
I was incompetent. I have never missed any sitting in the
House. I attend my duties religiously. I was always in the
office, including my PA and other of my aides. I don’t
know how they came about all these.
My age
That is false. I am older than the Speaker. In terms of experience,
I have experience more than the Speaker. In 1999, I was a
councillor representing Onuasata Ward 4 in Enugu North Local
Government. After that, I became a liaison officer to the
executive governor, which later transformed into executive
assistant to the governor. I later became a transition local
government chairman for Enugu North Local Government. Now,
I am in the House. None of them (other legislators) has had
these experiences. I am industrious. I am not the youngest
in the House. I am older than three people in the House, including
the Speaker. I am 36 years and the Speaker should be 35. I
was born in 1971 and he was born in 1972.
My dressing
I dress well, more than most of them, even the Speaker. I
am I lawyer by training. I have never dressed shabbily. At
times, I tell the Speaker to dress formally. I tell him that
when he is putting on traditional wear, he should wear a cap.
I have never dressed informally to the House.
Yes, there is a dressing code for the members of the House.
You can be corporate or traditional. And I have never defaulted
in any of these.
Why they removed me
Their basis for my removal was that of my link, my contact
with my mentor, the former governor, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani,
who they believe is using me. But he has never discussed anything
about the present government with me. He is my mentor and
I don’t have to leave him or dump him due to one thing
or the other. I have conscience.
I am not that kind of politician, that today, you are black,
tomorrow you are red and next tomorrow you are white. If I
am in contact with somebody, I am in contact with the person.
There is nothing wrong in that. After all, the Speaker is
still in contact with the former deputy governor, Okechukwu
Iteanyi, who incidentally, is his mentor.
Alleged plan to remove Gov Sullivan Chime
That is also false. We have never had any intention to remove
Sullivan Chime as governor. Nobody has ever said it; nobody
has ever planned it. It is totally false.
Singing Chimaroke Nnamani’s praises
There is nothing wrong in that, my singing his praises is
not wrong. He is my mentor; there is nothing wrong in my singing
his praises.
Plan over impeachment
I believe in God and trust in God and what will be will be.
I intend to challenge the impeachment in court, which was
purportedly done. The signatures were all filled by the members
of the House at night. And when the motion was raised, there
should have been voting on the floor of the House, but there
was no voting and the Speaker was one of the signatories to
the impeachment, which was not supposed to be so. The Speaker
is supposed to vote where there is a tie and there was no
tie. There was no two-third majority for the impeachment.
The voting by members
Out of the 24 members, 22 were present, two were absent and
out of the 22, 14 voted and signed their signatures and eight
did not sign. The two-third majority of the Enugu State House
of Assembly is 17 and not 14. The eight people who did not
sign their signatures were not in support of the impeachment
and that was why they did not sign, they refused to sign.
It was a Kangaroo arrangement. They hurriedly did it. I didn’t
want to challenge them on the floor of the House because they
were fully organized and I was aware of what they planned
to do. They organized policemen and thugs in the Chambers
of the House. That was why I didn’t challenge them on
the floor of the House. I felt that as a responsible citizen
and a lawyer, I don’t have to challenge them on the
floor of the House since there is a court of law. Moreover,
it is a constitutional issue.
Governor Chime and the situation
I have not been in contact with him.
My mentor Chimaroke Nnamani
He should have read about the impeachment in the newspapers.
Possibility of winning in court
It is a matter of rule of law. The court is there to interpret
the constitution.
The consequences
I’m prepared, even if they have to suspend me, so long
as I am fighting a just cause. The impeachment was illegal;
it was unconstitutional. I am ready to take up with whatever
they come up with.
My relationship with other legislators
I have good relationship with some of them. I approached some
of them early in the morning that day and they said the instruction
was from above and there was nothing they could do.
My impression about Sullivan Chime government
My impression is that it is too early to start victimizing
people. The government is not up to six months. Why should
they start victimizing or suspecting people unnecessarily?
One should be free because this is democracy.
Will you abandon Nnamani?
Nothing, nothing will make me abandon him. Nothing can stop
me from having contact with him. He is my mentor. He had appointed
me into office severally. He contributed to my coming to the
Enugu State House of Assembly.
Sharing the same surname with Chimaroke
No, I am not even from the same local government with him.
I’m from Enugu North Local Government, from the royal
family of the late Igwe Augustine Nnamani.
If I go to court and lose
I will take like that, that is the wish of God.
Advice to fellow legislators
They should be independent minded, not to fall into or being
a stooge used by some people. They should be the own men.
Our duty is to make laws.
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