Defection: Ikpeazu removes Obingwa LG chairman, swears in deputy

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Monday, swore in Mrs Uloma Nwogu as the new Chairman of Obingwa Local Government Area.
Nwogu was the council’s Deputy Chairman before her elevation.
She was sworn in against the backdrop of the defection of the former Chairman, Mr Ibe Nwoko, from PDP to Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Nwoko dumped PDP for YPP, where he got the ticket to contest for the House of Representatives for Osisioma/Ugwunagbo/Obingwa Federal Constituency.
In a speech at the swearing-in, Ikpeazu charged the new chairman to protect the interest of women and youths of the area.
He also charged her to protect the interest of the people of Obingwa and Abia.
He further charged her to evolve programmes and policies that would outlive her tenure.
He said that the state government was committed to deepening democracy through the involvement of youths and women in governance at the local government level.
The governor gave reasons for swearing in Nwogu, saying that the office of the chairman became vacant, following Nwoko’s resignation.
He said: “I received a letter dated May 23, entitled: ‘Resignation of my party membership’ by Nwoko.
“In consonance with the Laws guiding Local Governments in Abia, the consequence of the letter is that he has breached the provisions of Section 23(1) of the Local Government Law of 2006.
“This makes it imperative that a new chairman would be sworn in to take over the realms of power at that level as the former chairman had decided to pursue his political career on another platform.”
Nwogu thanked the state government for the opportunity given to her to serve and contribute to the development of the state.
She promised to discharge her duties diligently to facilitate socio-economic development of the area and the state at large.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Chikamnayo Eze, said that the law provides that defecting from the party on which platform a council office holder got elected amounts to losing the position.
Eze said: “There are consequences to every action and in this case, there are constitutional consequences that are enshrined in the 2006 Law of the Local Governments in Abia.
“It is an explicit law.
“It has been tested constitutionally by the court up to the Supreme Court, which decided that votes garnered at an election belonged to the party”.
The two-year tenure of the present local government administration in the state would lapse on December 21.