Imo Assembly probes Okorocha, suspends LG bosses, dissolves boards

The Imo state House of Assembly on Monday passed a resolution
mandating the state governor, Emeka Ihedioha, to set up a panel of
inquiry to probe the activities of his immediate predecessor,
Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

The house in a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Chinedu
Offor, also suspended indefinitely all the chairmen of the 27 local
government areas of the state and their councillors and asked them
to hand over immediately to the directors of administration in each
local council.

They also cancelled all appointments made by the immediate past
governor into boards, agencies, inter-ministerial departments and
agencies from March 11 to May 28, 2019, which they said were
hurriedly done to put a landmines on the path of the new
administration.

In a motion sponsored by the member representing Aboh Mbaise
state constituency, Mike Iheanetu, the lawmakers also asked for a
review of all land allocations, land transactions as well as take
inventory of all government assets, property and determine all
governments assets looted and infrastructures vandalised by
officials of the former administration.

The house also resolved to suspend the establishment of all
tertiary institutions, as well as review all ownership structure
and allocation of funds for their construction.

Among the resolutions passed by the house at the plenary were
reviews of projects undertaken by the former administration, assess
ongoing projects, incurred debts, value and determine which of them
to be terminated, reviewed or continue.

The panel to be constituted, according to the house, will review
all debts and financial obligations, determine whether they were
duly incurred and whether recoveries could be made using relevant
agencies.

The house also resolved to invite anti-graft agencies where
criminal infractions are involved or determined.

Also in the motion to suspend the local government chairmen and
their councillors, sponsored by member representing Ezinihitte
state constituency, Mr. Bruno Ukoha, the lawmakers expressed regret
that the chairmen neglected them by failing to appear when they
were summoned by the house.

The house resolved that the chairmen and the councillors should
be suspended indefinitely while investigations into the activities
of the local government areas should be carried out.

The house said that the action of the house was necessitated by
the fact that a lot of illegalities took place at the twilight of
the immediate past administration all with a view to setting up a
booby trap for the new administration.

The speaker asked the governor to adhere strictly to the
resolution.

Earlier some local chairmen and councillors, led by the Chairman
of Association of Imo State Elected Councillors Forum, Godwin
Nwankwo, had besieged the house to protest the suspension of local
government chairmen and the councillors. The protesters said that
they had an inkling that the house was about to sack them.

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