Imo court nullifies Okorocha deputy’s impeachment

An Imo State High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Benjamin Iheka on Tuesday ruled that the removal of the state deputy governor, Mr. Eze Madumere from office by the Imo State House of Assembly through impeachment failed to follow due process which therefore makes the moves illegal.

Recall that Madumere was on July 30 sacked from office by 19 of the 27 members of the Imo House of Assembly despite the order of a court in the state barring members of the state assembly from removing the deputy governor from office after they had earlier received a report by a seven-member panel set up by the State Chief judge which allegedly indicted Mr. Madumere of gross misconduct and abandoning his duty for three months

But the High Court Judge; Mr. Iheka on Tuesday declared the lawmakers’ action “invalid and of no legal effect” and went on to slammed Paschal Nnadi, Chief Judge of the State, and Militus Nlemadim, the commissioner for justice, for not adhering to the provisions of section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Reports have it that Mr. Okorocha’s spokesperson, Sam Onwuemeodo, said he was “cannot react” until he sees the court judgement. “I cannot react to what I have not seen, when I see it (the judgement) then I will make an official statement”, he said.

Madumere had been embroiled in a supremacy battle with his boss, Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is backing his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as his successor, against his deputy, who is also in the race.

The running political battle which is at the centre of the current crisis within the Imo State All Progressives Congress (APC) fold saw the birth of parallel factions in the party.

The embattled deputy governor had teamed up with senator, Osita Izunaso, the immediate past national organising secretary of the APC, and Ifeanyi Ararume, a former senator, to conduct ward, local government and state congresses of the party in May, while the governor supported a separate faction which conducted parallel congresses.

Although the APC faction supported by Madumere and Izunaso was initially recognised by the national leadership of the party, its election was upturned by the court in the build up to the party’s national convention.

It was gathered that Madumere despite being impeached by the House of Assembly in pursuant of his political dream had earlier this month submitted his nomination form to contest the governorship seat of Imo on the platform of the governing party to slug it out with the former Chief of Staff and son-in-law to Gov. Rochas Okorocha, Uche Nwosu.