The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia has opposed plan by the state government to postpone indefinitely the inauguration of the 6th House of Assembly.
The Clerk of the house, Mr John-Pedro Irokansi, had in a statement on Tuesday, announced an indefinite postponement of the inauguration earlier scheduled for June 8.
Irokansi stated that the postponement became necessary because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yet to issue Certificate-of-Return to one of the members-elect.
In other words, just because one members-elect has not received his certificate, the entire state should lack representation.
Addressing newsmen on the development, the state Chairman of APGA, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, said the action contravened sections 6, 7 and 8 of the 1999 constitution.
Ehiemere advised Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu not to fail to inaugurate the house as scheduled, saying that failure to do so meant that Abia Government had not been properly constituted for the present administration.
“We are aware that Abia House of Assembly is supposed to be inaugurated on Monday next week; but information reaching us says that the inauguration has been suspended indefinitely by the governor.
‘’We are saying it is an aberration for Abia Government to do that when other Houses of Assembly in the federation would be inaugurated.’’
The APGA chairman said that the unfolding scenario ‘’confirms why APGA is crying for change.
‘’It also goes to confirm the kind of impunity the state has been exposed to in the past administration and it shows that what happened in the past administration is about to repeat itself.’’
According to him, “the suspension is unacceptable to us; let the right thing be done, let the interest of the state be placed first.
‘’The interest of the state should not be attached to the interest of an individual,” he said.
Similarly, the Secretary of the party, Mr Sunday Onukwubiri, said that ’the absence of one member in a 24-member house should not stop the inauguration of the assembly.’’
