George Onyejiuwa and Vivian Onyebukwa
Three more lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State have defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The APGA lawmakers, who defected to the PDP are Chyna Iwuanyanwu (Nwangele state constituency), Chidi Ogbunikpa (Okigwe state constituency) and Onyemaechi Njoku (Ihitte Uboma state constituency).
They said their defections were to enable them serve their constituents better.
The Speaker, Chiji Collins, read their separate letters of defections during plenary.
The defection of the three lawmakers meant that APGA now has just a lawmaker at the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Governor Emeka Ihedioha has replaced the suspended 27 council chairmen and the 645 councillors with the interim management committee, following approval of the nominees by the lawmakers.
He sworn in chairmen and members of 27 local government interim management committee, who are expected to administer the affairs of the councils, yesterday.
Ihedioha had on Monday suspended the 27 council chairmen and the 645 councils, following the motion of the state legislators, who had earlier sacked the local government council chairmen and the councils.
The state lawmakers had noted that the purported council polls conducted under the immediate past administration last February did not follow due process.
However, critics of Governor Ihedioha’s insistence on due process and rule of law in the conduct of affairs of the state government, have been described as “enemies of Imo people, who want to continue impoverishing the people by depriving them the benefits of good governance, probity and accountability.”
Chief of Staff to the governor, Chris Okewulonu, who stated this, noted that the new administration was committed to doing things the right way unlike what was obtained in the past.
Okewulonu spoke in reaction to the dissolution of local government councils, boards of government parastatals, agencies, extra-ministerial departments and the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) by the governor.
He said the dissolution, apart from being in the best interest of the state, also followed due process, in accordance with relevant laws and resolutions by the state legislature.
He also described the Court of Appeal judgment, which confirmed Ihedioha as winner of the PDP governorship primary held last year as “victory for due process, rule of law and the state.”
The appellate court had dismissed the appeal brought by the immediate past senator, who represented Imo West in the National Assembly, Samuel Anyanwu. The lower court had earlier dismissed the suit.
The Chief of Staff said Ihedioha’s victory was divine, pointing out that anybody who truly loves Imo should desist from distracting the incumbent administration.
He commended the judiciary for its forthrightness and reaffirming the wish of PDP members in entrusting their mandate on Governor Ihedioha.