A group under the auspices of Save Nigerian Citizens Development and Empowerment Initiatives has called on the senate President, Ahmed Lawan to declare the seat of convicted former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzo Kalu vacant.
Recall that the former governor was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by a federal high court in December 5, 2019. The conviction followed a N7.65bn corruption charges leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The group in a press briefing in Abuja yesterday lamented that the people of Abia north have remained without a voice in the 9th senate .
Ambassador Chikoje Okoro who read the statement on behalf of the group said the non representation of Abia north in the senate is unfair to the people, state and the spirit of the constitution.
He said “While we concede of the fact that convicted former governor has the constitutional right to appeal such judgement, we urge the president of the Senate Senator Ahmed Lawan to declare the seat of Abia north in the senate vacant.
The people of Abia north have remained without a voice in the 9th Senate for over ten months now and we believe that this is unfair to our people and the state .
We also call on INEC to consider a new date for fresh election for Abia north Senator zone. We need a voice as a people in the Senate, and we urge Chief Kalu to honourably resign his job to pave way for a rerun.
“Having been convicted by a competent court of jurisdiction, the former governor lack the moral right to still lay claim to that seat.
The group also commended president Muhammadu Buhari, EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu and the judiciary for the giant strides in the fight against corruption.
While calling on the anti- graft agency to beam its searchlights on the implementation of the much controversial constituency projects across the country, they urged the EFCC and the judiciary to step up its constitutional duties in this regard.
“Our preliminary investigation as an organization show that the so called constituency projects have remain elderado for money making for some lawmakers and their cohorts.
“Several billions of narrative have been budgeted for constituency projects over the years with little or nothing to show for it some state. The governors, the state and federal lawmakers should be made to account for the huge funds allocated for this constituency projects,” they stated.
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