Police arrest Ebonyi Deputy Speaker, 13 others for alleged conspiracy Ebonyi State Deputy Speaker, Baze Orji, factional Speaker, Helen Nwaobashi, and 13 other members of the troubled state House of Assembly were on Tuesday arrested by police over alleged threat to life and conspiracy. The Deputy Speaker, representing Afikpo South East State Constituency, and the 13 other lawmakers suspected to be loyal to Nwobashi were arrested in the morning by a team of policemen from the state police command headquarters, Abakaliki. They were arrested shortly after coming out from the court where a suit was instituted against the other Speaker of the Assembly, Chukwuma Nwazunku. Following the development, the other lawmakers sympathetic to the female Speaker joined their colleagues at the police headquarters. Others sighted making statement at the police headquarters included the Chief Whip, Ogbonnaya Ikoro, representing Afikpo North West; Jerry Obasi, representing Ohaozara West constituency; Eni Uduma Chima, representing Afikpo South West; the Minority Whip, Joseph Nwobashi, the member representing Afikpo North East; Eloy Eloy and the former Speaker, Ikechukwu Nwankwo. The lawmakers, who were arrested at about 9.30 a.m., were taken to the interrogation room of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) where police officers took their statements. Some of the lawmakers described the development as unconstitutional and a rape on democracy. A police source revealed that the lawmakers were arrested following a petition to the state Commissioner of Police by some lawmakers loyal to Nwazunku, alleging conspiracy, breaking into the House of Assembly chambers and threat to the lives of the lawmakers. Speaking to newsmen, one of the counsel to the Nwaobasi group, Luke Nkwagu, regretted the action of the police, adding that the undue interference in the House of Assembly matters is a breach of the Constitution. Nkwagu added that the rights and privileges of the lawmakers are being infringed on by the police and called on the Inspector General of Police to urgently call his men to order. State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chris Anyanwu, told our reporter on telephone that the lawmakers were merely invited to explain certain issues. Some of the lawmakers had on July 21 sat in the chambers of the Assembly by 6.30 a.m., declared the Speaker impeached and replaced him with Nwaobashi, a development the state Governor and the state branch of the ruling PDP said did not follow due process.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:39:54 +0000
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