Five months after court ruling, Abia lawmaker not inaugurated

Five months after the Appeal Court declared Aaron Uzodike winner of the March 18, 2023 Abia State House of Assembly election for Aba North Constituency, he still has not been admitted as a member of the state assembly by the Speaker, Emmanuel Emereuwa.

Uzodike of the PDP, who also represented the constituency in the immediate past assembly, said there is nothing legal or constitutional stopping his swearing into office except that the speaker told him that an “Order from Above”was directed against his inauguration.
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The 24-member assembly is currently composed of 11 PDP, nine Labour Party, two Young Progressive Party and one APC. If Uzodike is inaugurated, the PDP number in the chamber will increase to 12.The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos, had on November 27, 2023, upheld Uzodike’s appeal challenging the declaration by INEC and the Election Tribunal of Mr. Destiny Nwagwu of Labour Party winner of the election.

Uzodike urged the speaker to comply with the terminal court verdict and his INEC Certificate of Return has been presented to the clerk of the House and the speaker. He also urged Governor Alex Otti to prevail on the speaker to inaugurate him, stressing that his absence from the assembly has denied his constituents their constitutional right. Calls put across to the speaker for his reaction were not attended to including a text message. The deputy speaker and house spokesman, Austin Meregini, who picked his call, said he was in a meeting and could not respond immediately.
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