The Majority Leader of the Ughelli North Legislative Arm, Hon. Ese Agbobore, has given a detailed account of the incident that led to chaos during a plenary sitting of the council, firmly dismissing reports of an impeachment plot against the Leader of the House.
Addressing media personalities on Wednesday, Hon. Agbobore, who represents Oteri and Otor-Iwhreko Wards, explained that the House had just resumed from its recess and proceedings were initially peaceful before the disruption occurred.
According to him, the crisis began when a councillor attempted to raise a motion that did not comply with established legislative procedures.
“The sitting was going on peacefully until a member stood up to raise a motion. As Majority Leader, I observed that the motion was neither properly raised nor seconded, and the member later admitted that due process was not followed,” he said.
He stated that shortly after the observation, the situation escalated unexpectedly as unidentified individuals stormed the chamber.
“Before we knew it, hoodlums started entering the chamber, wearing different colours of clothing. I immediately contacted the DSS Director and the Area Commander to brief them on the situation,” Agbobore disclosed.
The intruders, he said, forcefully removed the mace; the symbol of legislative authority and fled the scene.
“They carted away the mace and drove off with it. As of now, we do not know their identity or the whereabouts of the mace,” he added.
Hon. Agbobore categorically denied claims that the incident was linked to the impeachment of the Leader of the House, Rt. Hon. Prosper Okajero.
“We have officially written to the Clerk of the House, the Area Commander, and the DSS to inform the public to disregard any information suggesting that the Leader of the House was impeached. That information is false,” he said.
He stressed that impeachment is a constitutional process governed by clear procedures, none of which occurred during the sitting.
“This is a legislative chamber, not a motor park. You don’t wake up and remove a leader. For impeachment to occur, a motion must be properly raised, seconded, debated, and agreed upon by the House. None of these steps took place,” he explained.
Reacting to reports that 12 councillors allegedly signed an impeachment letter, Agbobore questioned the credibility of the claim, describing it as procedurally invalid.
“What was circulated was only a photocopy of signatures. We did not hear directly from those members, and due process was never followed. Signatures alone do not amount to impeachment,” he said.
He confirmed that Rt. Hon. Prosper Okajero remains the substantive Leader of the House.
“As we speak, the Leader is in his office attending to the issues of his constituents. The Clerk of the House is present. The Sergeant-at-Arms is present. There has been no impeachment,” he affirmed.
The Majority Leader further expressed confidence in the leadership of the House and its cordial relationship with the Executive Arm of the council.
“For over one year, Rt. Hon. Prosper Okajero has piloted the affairs of this House peacefully. We also enjoy a cordial working relationship with the Council Chairman, who prioritizes the welfare of councillors,” he said.
He suggested that the disruption may have been instigated by individuals seeking to destabilize the council, calling for calm and appealed to members of the public to assist security agencies in recovering the missing mace.
“If anyone sees anybody moving around with the mace, they should immediately report to the Council Chairman or the police. The mace is the symbol of authority of this local government. By tomorrow, we will reconvene, and you will see all of us sitting together as one family,” he said.
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