Impeachment: Imo Assembly directs Chief Judge to raise seven man-Panel

The leadership of the Imo State House of Assembly has directed the Chief Judge of the state , Justice Paschal Nnadi, to set up a seven -man panel to investigate the allegation of gross misconduct levelled against the Imo State Deputy Governor , Prince Eze Madumere .
The House leadership said there was a prima facie case against the deputy governor.
This was just as the supporters of the embattled deputy governor from his Mbaitoli State Constituency stormed the House of Assembly complex to protest against what they described as a plot being instigated by Governor Rochas Okorocha to impeach the deputy governor .
Madumere ‘ s constituents said the deputy governor was being persecuted because of his opposition to Okorocha’ s plan to install his (Okorocha ‘s ) son -in-law as his successor.
They maintained that all the allegations against Madumere were cooked up .
They urged the lawmakers to reverse their decision on the plot to remove the deputy governor in order for peace to reign in the state.
But they were quickly dispersed by armed mobile policemen, who later barricaded the entrance to the state House of Assembly complex .
The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Acho Ihim, during Wednesday plenary , announced the House’ s resolution to direct the state’ s Chief Judge to set up a seven -man panel to probe Madumere .
This was after the 18 members , who attended the plenary on Wednesday, unanimously adopted the recommendations of the House ad-hoc committee, chaired by Mr Kennedy Ibe ( Obowo State Constituency) , which was tasked with investigating the petition of gross misconduct against Madumere earlier brought by 13 members of the House.
Ihim said, “ With the adoption of the ad-hoc committee’s report by the committee of the whole which has stated that the deputy governor has a prima facie case to answer and should, therefore , be investigated on two of the allegations bordering on his absence from his office for 90 days without reasons and his refusal to attend both the state Executive Council meetings and the state security meetings.
“ The House also directed that the Chief Judge of the state , Justice Pascal Nnadi, should set up a seven -man panel of people with impeccable character and integrity to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor , Prince Eze Madumere . ”
The House, thereafter, adjourned till July 17 , 2018 .