A former speaker of the Imo House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Amaechi Nwoha has advised leaders in the state not to take laws into their own hands whenever they are aggrieved.
Rt. Hon. Amaechi, a lawyer who represented Nwangele State Constituency in the Imo House Assembly between 2003 and 2011 described as unfortunate and disgraceful for a former governor to be allegedly involve in such act of forceful entry into a property confiscated irrespective of whether or not it was properly confiscated by the state government.
The speaker emeritus noted that leaders ought to exercise caution and be circumspect with the manner they pursue power and affluence.
Nwoha opined that Imo Government has taken a legitimate legal process by implementing the report of a judicial panel of Inquiry on the said property and did not on its own seize or lock up the estate.
He recalled that it was even during the administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha that set up the said judicial panel of inquiry adding that by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry Law of Imo State which still subsists, any government in power is authorized to adopt its report after the state executive had okayed it.
Rt. Hon. Nwoha described as dereliction of duty for any government hot to implement the report of a judicial panel of inquiry.
He said once such a panel has sat and done the needful and the report adopted and gazetted, the report becomes what he called “probative law which he said, must be implemented by the government.
“Judicial panels have quasi-judicial powers like the law court, can pronounce “guilty or not guilty”. Even the 1999 Constitution recognizes the powers of judicial panels.
“That is why the constitution of Nigeria disqualifies any person from contesting any election if such a person has been found guilty by any judicial panel of inquiry anywhere”, the two-time lawmaker said.
While faulting ex-governor, Okorocha’s action in allegedly resorting to self help in the case of Royal Spring Palm, estate, Nwoha said government cannot be intimidated by any person no matter his status.
