Abaribe Slams Imo Speaker Over Suspension Of Minority Leader, Warns Against ‘Dictatorship’

Senate minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has strongly criticised the recent suspension of the minority leader of the Imo State Assembly by the speaker, Paul Emezim.

Anyadike Nwosu, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, was suspended alongside five other members of the house on Friday.

THE WHISTLER had reported how sound of gunshots rented the air after Emezim announced the lawmakers’ suspension as well as the removal of Authur Egwim as the chief whip of the house.

The speaker suspended the lawmakers indefinitely for what he termed “unparliamentary conduct”.

But reacting in a statement sent THE WHISTLER on Monday, Senator Abaribe, who is a chieftain of the PDP, described the Imo speaker’s action as “undemocratic”.

The senator also frowned on similar alleged autocratic tendencies in other state assemblies where minority leaders are “hounded” for performing their oversight functions on the executive.

Abaribe’s reaction was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by his media adviser, Uchenna Awom.

“Democracy does not stop at the national level. It must permeate all levels of government i.e, wards, local governments, state and other democratic institutions. In all of these, everybody must enjoy freedom of expression and association as guaranteed by our constitution.

“So, it is undemocratic and smirks of dictatorship, any attempt by anybody, particularly a parliament for that matter to abhor minority functions and stifle opposition voices, just because you want to pander to executive whims. It is reprehensible to even contemplate suspension of a minority leader, because he questions the executive on things that seems to be antithetical to democratic norms” he said.

The senator further advised state assemblies to always see opposition lawmakers as partners in progress.

“Without dissenting opinions, democracy loses its kernel. The essence of liberal democracy is the accommodation of different viewpoints, which is warehoused in the interplay of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary independently in the political system,” Abaribe added.