Governorship candidate of Young Progressives Party, YPP, in Anambra State, Sir Paul Chukwuma, has condemned the suspension of the lawmaker representing Ayamelum State Constituency, Bernard Udemezue, by the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Udemezue was suspended during plenary on Tuesday following the recommendation of the ethics and privileges committee of the House.
The YPP candidate in a statement on Wednesday described the suspension as a sign of the state’s descent to dictatorship under Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
“Anambra State under Governor Charles Soludo has slipped into dictatorship. This suspension is only symptomatic to the deeper problem the polity has been plunged into by its current chief executive.
“In a democracy, dictatorship starts with gagging the people and their representatives under certain pretenses. When this is achieved, the judiciary becomes the next casualty.
“At the moment, the House of Assembly has lost the right to freely debate and provide direction to the governor and perform its full functions as an institution and an essential arm of the Anambra State Government.
“To demonstrate the pitiable dictatorship in Anambra State further, Soludo has his Akaodo and Agunechemba thugs unleashing untold mayhem on Ndi Anambra.
“There are strong indications that Soludo barred the House from consideration of any motion on security.
“So, effectively, he has his own militia that serves his interests. This is why, despite deep and troubling complaints about the modus operandi of these groups, they are still going about enjoying the full confidence of the governor. They are still abusing and killing innocent Ndi Anambra.
“The level of insecurity in Anambra has since gone beyond alarming. Yet, the House of Assembly has not said anything. It is even so bad that the Assembly could not say anything when it’s member, the late Hon. Justice Azuka, was kidnapped.
“That sad incident was never mentioned in the plenary. This is also why the House has never raised any motion about the unlawful conduct of Agunechemba and SASA. In actual fact, the legislature in Anambra State has collapsed,” Chukwuma said.
