…Imo govt’s statement, reckless, inflammatory, contemptuous—Madumere

By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI—BARRING any unforseen circumstances, the High Court of Imo State will today, kick off the hearing of Prince Eze Madumere’s suit, challenging his impeachment.

Okorocha and Madumere

As at the last count, Madumere had filed no fewer than four suits, to challenge every move taken by the state Chief Judge, the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly and Imo State House of Assembly.

Vanguard recalls that when the lawmakers put together the alleged sins of Prince Madumere, preparatory to begin the process of impeaching him, the embattled Deputy Governor sued the state Chief Judge, the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly and the State House of Assembly, vide suit HOW/531/2018.

Madumere had in the suit, urged the Court to make six declarations, two orders, as well as raised eight questions he prayed the court to answer.

One of the declarations sought by Madumere read: “A declaration that the second and third defendants (Speaker and the House of Assembly) having not allowed the plaintiff to exercise his right to reply to the purported notice of gross misconduct, dated July 10, 2018, or notice of any allegation made by the third defendant within seven days of the service of the said document on him or at all, cannot be held to have complied with the provisions of Section 188(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.”

Imo govt’s statement, reckless, inflammatory, contemptuous—Madumere

Meanwhile, Madumere has described as reckless, inflammatory and contemptuous, the recent press statement issued by Governor Rochas Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Mr. Samuel Onwuemeodo, that “the Office of the State Deputy Governor is vacant, since the occupant of the said office has already been impeached.”

Prince Eze Madumere, who reacted through his media aide, Mr. Uche Onwuchekwa, equally fumed that “Mr. Onwuemeodo in his recklessness, not only went further to declare Mr. Callistus Ekenze the Deputy Governor of Imo State, but also declared that Mr. Ekenze’s swearing-in will surely take place as soon as the court order is vacated”.

Onwuchekwa said: “My principal is only worried about the impression which the careless statement would have made in the minds of unsuspecting Imolites and Nigerians at large. We wish to state categorically that it is contemptuous for the governor’s media handler to lie over a court ruling and worse still, take such lies to the public sphere.

“For the umpteenth time, we wish to remind Onwuemeodo and his co-travelers that the incumbent Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere never sought an order of the court to stop the swearing-in ceremony of Calistus Ekenze.”