The Nsukka Local Government Legislative Assembly in Enugu State has impeached its Leader, Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel and Deputy Leader, Hon. Odugwu Cordelia, over multiple allegations including incompetence and breach of trust.
The impeachment which took place on Friday, follows a vote of no confidence signed by 12 out of the 18 members of the 16th legislative assembly.
According to the assembly, the decision was driven by a number of critical concerns, including abuse of power and obstruction of legislative processes.
A central accusation was that the former leadership deliberately sabotaged legislative sittings, effectively paralyzing the assembly’s operations.
“The Leader and the Deputy Leader have consistently sabotaged our legislative seating, bringing our work to a standstill and acting against our standing order,” the assembly stated, describing the actions as “unethical.”
Among other grievances cited was the failure to appoint chairmen and members of legislative committees, a responsibility that remained neglected eight months into their tenure.
This led to the assembly branding the leadership as “incompetent.”
Issues of abuse of office were also raised. In particular, the assembly faulted the impeached officials for allegedly violating an agreed-upon procedure concerning the disbursement of the wardrobe allowance.
Concerns were further heightened by the former Leader’s perceived inability to fulfill basic legislative responsibilities.
“Due to the Leader’s low academic background, his inability to read, write & communicate effectively has negatively affected our legislative proceedings,” the statement added.
Additionally, the assembly accused the ousted leadership of hoarding information and preventing the convening of full committee meetings.
These actions, they argue, stifled effective representation and hampered the synergy between legislative and executive arms.
A particularly serious allegation involved the charge of betrayal of trust.
According to the lawmakers, the former leadership relied on misinformation allegedly provided by the Executive Chairman, which, in turn, “destroyed the synergy between the executive arms and the legislative arms of government.”
In a dramatic turn of events following the impeachment, DAILY GAZETTE learned that the former Leader, Rt. Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel, allegedly absconded with the Assembly’s mace.
This act reportedly stalled the immediate election of new leadership, leaving the legislative arm temporarily paralyzed.
