Anambra North Labour Party Caucus in the National Assembly has condemned the recent suspension of Hon Bernard Abuchi Udemezue by the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Hon Udemezue has recently been critical of the Anambra State Government, but his trouble started after he made a social media post, revealing the emoluments of state lawmakers, including ₦10 million quarterly constituency allowance, which he said other lawmakers were not happy about.
In a press release by the Anambra North Labour Party Caucus in the National Assembly, the group described the suspension as hasty and high-handed.
The lawmakers, four in number; Senator Tony Nwoye, Hon. Afam Ogene, Hon. Idu Emeka, and Hon. Peter Aniekwe, said the suspension may have been on the prompting of the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who the lawmaker had tried to hold accountable for alleged lack of development in his area.
Part of the release read: “Our democracy thrives on robust debate, constructive criticism and diversity of opinions. Silencing opposition voices through hasty suspension sets a dangerous precedent that should concern every Nigerian, regardless of party affiliation.
“While we do not condone the use of unparliamentary language by Hon. Abuchi Udemezue or anyone else, we believe that the State Government’s decision to influence the reconvening of the House of Assembly during its yearly vacation, so as to hastily suspend him, was overly hasty and disregarded the fundamental principle of fair hearing.
“The suspension was carried out without adequate notice, undermining the element of natural justice embodied in the maxim ‘audi alteram partem’ – hear the other side.”
“His (Hon. Udemezue’s) voice lends credence to our cries and agitation in recent times for the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgement on financial autonomy for the LGAs, which requires State Governments to allow Local Governments manage their funds accruing from the Federation Account.
“We expect the APGA-led Government under Professor Soludo (Governor of Anambra State) to address the pressing issues of marginalization and infrastructure decay in Ayamelum LGA, which Hon. Udemezue highlighted, irrespective of the unparliamentary and uncouth language(s) used in his speeches and interviews.”
The caucus said the concerns raised by Hon. Udemezue over the egregious infrastructure decay in his gas-producing locality of Ayamelum, is a way of holding both the companies and the state government accountable.
“He demanded that his constituents, who have contributed significantly to the state’s revenue, deserve better infrastructure and tangible dividends from democracy, given the wealth generated from their land.
“Depriving the people of Ayamelum Local Government Area of representation in the State Assembly due to this controversial suspension is unfair and undemocratic.
“We humbly urge the leadership of the Anambra State House of Assembly to revisit the suspension and ensure Hon. Abuchi Udemezue is accorded fair hearing.
” If found guilty, any disciplinary action should be taken in a transparent and lawful manner. We must work together to protect the integrity of our democratic institutions.
“In the same spirit, we urge the Assembly and the State Government to address the very weighty allegations made by Hon. Udemezue, so that they are not swept under the carpet,” the caucus said.
