Imo assemblyman moves to recall Ikenga Ugochinyere

The tenure of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the federal representative for Ideato South in the National Assembly, faces uncertainty after a motion for his recall was introduced by Okechukwu Udenze, a member of the Imo State House of Assembly. This development occurred during a ceremony in Umuchima, where local stakeholders gathered to commend Governor Hope Uzodimma for his swift intervention in addressing a longstanding erosion crisis.

The event underscored Governor Uzodimma’s decisive action in awarding the critical erosion control project to Craneburg, a construction firm, preventing the potential isolation of the Ideato South constituency.

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The Chairman of the Ideato South Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Ewuzie, alongside other community leaders, expressed their gratitude for the governor’s intervention, stressing that previous political representatives had failed to address the issue effectively.

However, the ceremony also became a platform for some residents to voice their dissatisfaction with Ugochinyere’s performance. Critics accused him of neglecting the constituency’s needs and prioritising personal political ambitions, often opposing Governor Uzodimma’s initiatives. These grievances culminated in the introduction of the recall motion by Udenze, which was met with overwhelming support from attendees.

Dignitaries present at the event included Ijeoma Arodiogbu, the Southeast Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Ikechukwu Umeh, the Imo APC Organising Secretary; and Nkechi Ugwu, the Commissioner for Women Affairs.

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The gathering concluded with calls for unity and collaboration, urging the people of Ideato Federal Constituency to prioritise collective progress and development.

The process of recalling a lawmaker is not quite simple though. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, a petition for recall shall be initiated by the voters in a constituency, and presented to the Chairman of the Commission by representatives of the petitioners.

INEC, in its guidelines for recalling lawmakers, noted that the petition shall be signed by more than one half of the persons, that is, at least one person above half registered to vote in the constituency of the member sought to be recalled, alleging loss of confidence in that member.

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The document said: “Where half of the number of registered voters is not a whole number, the next whole number shall be regarded as one half of the registered voters.

“The signing of the petition may be by signatures or thumbprints of the petitioners.

“The names, Voter Identification Numbers (VIN) and signatures of the petitioners shall be arranged according to Polling Units in the constituency of the member sought to be recalled.

“For ease of communication, the name(s), contact address(es), phone number(s), and e-mail address(es) of the representative(s) of the petitioners should be clearly indicated in the covering letter forwarding the petition to the Commission.

“The Commission shall, upon receipt of the petition notify the member sought to be recalled, in writing, of the receipt of the petition. Such notification shall be delivered to his/her official address, copied to the presiding officer of the application legislature, and published on the Commission’s website. Ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one-half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the member’s constituency.”

“The list of signatories to the petition shall constitute the Register of Petitioners (Form EC41) for the purpose of any activity in this Regulation and Guidelines. (c} Where sub-paragraph 2(b) above is established, issue a public notice or announcement stating the day, time, location, and other details for the verification of the petition. (d) Where subparagraph 2(b) above is not established, issue a public notice to that effect and copy the Presiding Officer of the applicable legislature.”

The document noted that INEC would decline to conduct a referendum for the recall of the member if the result of the verification shows that not more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member’s Constituency (that is, at least one person above one half) endorsed the petition.

INEC, however, said it would conduct a referendum for the recall of the member where it has verified that more than one-half of the persons registered to vote in that member’s constituency have endorsed the petition, which shall take place not later than 90 days from the date of receipt of the recall petition.