The Nsukka Local Government Legislative Assembly of Enugu State has undergone a significant leadership change on Friday, following the impeachment of its Leader, Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel, and Deputy Leader, Hon. Odugwu Cordelia.
The vote of no confidence, signed by 12 out of the 18 members of the 16th legislative assembly, cited a litany of grievances, including incompetence, abuse of power, and a breach of trust.
The impeachment motion, which culminated after eight months of the current administration, detailed several critical reasons for the assembly’s decision. A key accusation was the alleged sabotage of legislative sittings by the former leadership, effectively halting proceedings for months without justifiable cause.
“The Leader and the Deputy Leader have consistently sabotaged our legislative seating, bringing our work to a standstill and acting against our standing order,” a statement from the assembly read, labelling the actions as “unethical.”
Further points of contention included the failure to appoint committee chairmen and members, a task that remained unaddressed eight months into their tenure, leading to accusations of “incompetence.” The assembly also highlighted an “abuse of power” concerning the wardrobe allowance, stating that the impeached officials had deviated from an initial agreement on payment methods.
Concerns were also raised regarding the former Leader’s capacity to effectively discharge his duties. “Due to the Leader’s low academic background, his inability to read, write & communicate effectively has negatively affected our legislative proceedings,” the document stated, reiterating claims of “incompetence.”
Also, the assembly accused the impeached leadership of a “lack of information,” asserting that they had prevented legislative sittings and failed to call for a full committee meeting, thereby hindering quality representation for various constituencies. A serious accusation of “breach of trust” was also levelled, alleging that the former leadership had been fed “wrong information” by the Executive chairman, which “destroyed the synergy between the executive arms and the legislative arms of government.”
Journalist101 gathered that after the impeachments, the ousted leader. Rt. Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel allegedly made away with the mace of the Assembly making it impossible for the members to elect new leadership.
