President Goodluck Jonathan's Special Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, has called for Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha’s impeachment by the state House of Assembly.
Gulak made the call for Okorocha’s removal after the 27 local government chairmen sacked by Okorocha submitted a letter of protest through him to the President in Abuja on Monday.
Okorocha fired the chairmen elected under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party during the Ikedi Ohakim administration on the grounds that their tenure had expired.
The governor appointed transitional committee chairmen comprising members of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, to administer the LGs.
But the LG bosses challenged their removal in court, arguing that the governor had no constitutional powers to sack them.
The Federal Government on July 16 through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke, ordered Okorocha to reinstate the chairmen.
The FG urged Okorocha to give full effect to the July 4, 2012 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Owerri, declaring their removal illegal and unconstitutional. But the governor refused to reverse his decision.
Gulak said, “In this vein, the courts have given their verdict that you should be reinstated. But the court verdict would be empty if you are not allowed to operate as chairmen of your local governments. A political solution must be found for this logjam and I believe that the leader of our party will be properly advised on the political solution to this political crisis in Imo State.
“Nigerian democracy was not got on a platter of gold. People suffered, people sacrificed, people lost their lives before this democracy came to be and no individual is greater than the democracy of Nigeria.”
The council bosses were led by the chairman of Isiala Mbano LG/Imo State chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Mrs. Ruby Emele, and Ngor Okpala LG boss who is the state ALGON Secretary, Mr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu.
Okorocha fired the chairmen elected under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party during the Ikedi Ohakim administration on the grounds that their tenure had expired.
The governor appointed transitional committee chairmen comprising members of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, to administer the LGs.
But the LG bosses challenged their removal in court, arguing that the governor had no constitutional powers to sack them.
The Federal Government on July 16 through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke, ordered Okorocha to reinstate the chairmen.
The FG urged Okorocha to give full effect to the July 4, 2012 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Owerri, declaring their removal illegal and unconstitutional. But the governor refused to reverse his decision.
Gulak said, “In this vein, the courts have given their verdict that you should be reinstated. But the court verdict would be empty if you are not allowed to operate as chairmen of your local governments. A political solution must be found for this logjam and I believe that the leader of our party will be properly advised on the political solution to this political crisis in Imo State.
“Nigerian democracy was not got on a platter of gold. People suffered, people sacrificed, people lost their lives before this democracy came to be and no individual is greater than the democracy of Nigeria.”
The council bosses were led by the chairman of Isiala Mbano LG/Imo State chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Mrs. Ruby Emele, and Ngor Okpala LG boss who is the state ALGON Secretary, Mr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu.
