Imo Assembly mandates Ihedioha to probe Okorocha

TRACKING>>The Imo State House of Assembly has mandated Governor Emeka Ihedioha to probe the activities of his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha.

The House, during a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Chinedu Offor, also sacked the 27 local government chairmen and their councillors.

The sacked chairmen were directed to hand over to the Directors of Administration immediately. The House also cancelled all appointments made by the former governor into Boards, Agencies and inter-ministerial Departments in the twilight of his administration, saying such appointments were hurriedly done to put landmines on the path of the new administration.

Following a motion by Mike Iheanetu (Aboh Mbaise), the lawmakers asked for a review of all land allocations, land transactions as well as 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.

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The Speaker urged the governor to adhere to the resolution.

Meanwhile, the council chairmen and councillors stormed the House of Assembly, barricading the entrance to protest purported plans by the lawmakers to terminate their tenure.

The aggrieved chairmen and their supporters arrived at the Assembly complex about 9am, but were denied access to the premises by policemen.

Leader of the Okigwe legislative council Godwin Nwankwo said they got news that the lawmakers wanted to carry out the action at a plenary scheduled for yesterday, so they were there to be part of the plenary to observe the proceedings.

He said: “We heard rumours that the lawmakers want to repudiate the laws they made. They want to approbate and reprobate. They made a law that local governments should serve for three years. We are lawmakers and not law breakers; we were elected same way they were elected. All elections are the same under the constitution. They have no power to dissolve us.”

Offor, who neither confirmed nor denied it, asked how the Chairmen got to know about the intention of the House when they were not spirits. He asked our correspondent to wait for further clarification.

Offor said: “How did they know what we want to do? Are they spirits?”

Asked if the lawmakers have the intention of sacking the chairmen and councillors, Offor said: “Wait until we finish”.

The governor also said Okorocha did not hand over documents detailing the financial dealings of his administration to him.

He, thereafter, ordered all Permanent Secretaries to submit documents in their care within 24 hours.

Ihedioha gave the order yesterday at the swearing in of Secretary to the State Government, Uche Onyeagocha, and Chief of Staff Chris Okewulonu, at the Government House.