Imo State deputy governor Eze Madumere impeached after house of assembly upholds indictment against him

IMO State deputy governor Eze Madumere was removed from office by the Imo State House of Assembly for gross misconduct after 19 legislators upheld a committee report which indicted him on a series of offences.

At a hearing yesterday, 19 of the 27 members of the assembly voted for his removal after reviewing the report of the seven-man panel set up by the chief judge to investigate allegations of misconduct levelled against Mr Madumere. Hon Acho Ihim, the speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, said the panel report indicted Madumere.

After the report was read, a motion for impeachment was moved by Hon Lugard Osuji of Owerri Municipality and seconded by Hon Victor Onyewuchi of Owerri North. Given that there are 27 members of the assembly, a two-thirds majority totalling 18 is required to effect impeachment and this requirement was exceeded by one vote.

Among other things, the deputy governor was accused of  abandoning his official duties for three months without reasons or official permission and a failure to perform constitutional duties like attending State Executive Council meetings. He was also found wanting for absenting himself from State Security Council meetings, as well as those with the governor and other government functionaries and of the additional offence of concealment of felonious acts in the US.

In a swift act, the Imo State head of service Callistus Okenze, was cleared by the assembly to replace Mr Madumere. Mr Okenze is from Mbaitoli Local Government Area in Owerri zone, where the former deputy governor hails from, removing any possible complications regarding zoning.

This is the second time Imo State is replacing its deputy governor as Mr Madumere became deputy in 2013 after Jude Agbaso, who won the election with Governor Rochas Okorocha, was removed for alleged corrupt practices. Before his removal, Mr Madumere obtained an injunction from a federal high court in Abuja, restraining the chief judge, the speaker and members of the house of assembly from continuing with the impeachment proceeding because he was not formally served, as stipulated by law.

However, the injunction was vacated by another federal high court sitting in Abuja, presided over by Justice A O Musa, on the grounds that no court had the powers to restrain the Imo State House of Assembly from carrying out an impeachment. he added that the court was not empowered to stop a state chief judge from carrying out his legitimate duty, including the setting up of the mandatory seven-man committee required to investigate allegations against the deputy governor.

Mr Madumere, who was elevated to deputy governor from chief of staff, fell out of favour with Governor Okorocha over the 2019 succession plan. He is among a group of politicians who organised a purported congress that produced an executive committee which the courts later dissolved.