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(By Iheanyi Ezinwo) -The Rivers State House of Assembly has suspended Hon. Azubuike Wanjoku, lawmaker representing Ikwerre State constituency in the legislative arm of government.
Speaking Monday at plenary, Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, said the house relied on Order 42, Rule 2 to temporarily suspend the lawmaker from the proceedings of the house for misinforming the public on the activities of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He said the Ethics and Privileges committee has been mandated to investigate the matter and report back to the house.
Responding to the matter, Hon. Kelechi Wogu wondered why the lawmaker representing Ikwerre would chose to discredit the house and the good work of the state government in the print and electronic media.
The Omuma representative said it was wrong for Hon. Wanjoku to claim that the budget does not exist because he has not seen it, adding that the APC law maker was absent on the day the matter was presented and discussed on the floor of the Assembly.
The Ikwerre lawmaker was also alleged to have criticised the decision of the Assembly to write President Muhammadu Buhari complaining about the negative activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, and demanding the redeployment of Mr. Akin Fakorede, the commander of the squad from the state.
Meanwhile, reacting to the suspension, some citizens have reasoned that the decision of the Inspector General of Police to restructure the operation of SARS across the country because of the recent uproar that greeted their malpractices in Lagos State has vindicated the petition of the Rivers Assembly to the president, and the alarm earlier raised by Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike that SARS was constituting themselves into a security threat in the state.
In a related development, some pro-APC individuals and groups in Ikwerre Local Government Area and other parts of the state are demanding that the house lift the suspension or face legal action and public protest, just as other observers are alleging that Hon. Azubuike have not been regular at sittings from the beginning of the 8th assembly.
According to them, Hon. Azubuike Wanjoku’s impact has not been felt both in the Assembly and his consistency, and that by absenting himself most times from the assignment for which he was elected to do, the lawmaker had long left his constituency with adequate representation.
