Tambuwal Accused of Frustrating Elected Candidate’s Swearing-in

Hon. Aminu Tambuwal

 In a political twist that betrays the true essence of democracy, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, has been accused of frustrating  the swearing-in of  an elected House of Representatives member from Anambra East West Federal Constituency, who contested on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS),  Comrade Tony Nwoye, in a statement and documents, which included his certificate of return issued to him buy INEC and  made available to THISDAY weekend, stated that he was declared the winner of the House of Representatives election held on April 26, 2011, in Anambra State, but instead of being issued a certificate of return as required by law, one Ameke Chriscato was issued the certificate in June 2011 despite the fact that the person in question never participated in the election.

According to the documents,  On  July 13, 2012, Nwoye secured an order of mandamus/judgment mandating INEC to recognise  him as the candidate of the election and issue him a ‘certificate in obedience to Supreme Court judgment of 9/6/2012 that Ameke Christaco, John Ameke and others never participated in the said election in Anambra State.’

INEC, while complying with the Supreme Court’s verdict, issued Nwoye his certificate of return on h July 16, 2012 and accordingly, withdrew the same earlier issued to Ameke Chriscato.
 
Nwoye then proceeded to the National Assembly, did his appropriate documentation with the office of the clerk and was scheduled to be sworn-in on several occasions  but since then, the leadership of the House has refused to do the proper thing.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, having personally referred the matter to the Director of Legal Services of the House, Tambuwal was later advised, in a letter dated September 12, 2012, to swear-in Tony Nwoye, the advice which the Speaker reportedly jettissoned having purportedly persuaded Legal Service Director to change his opinion on the ground that Christaco Ameke had a motion for stay of execution pending at the Court of Appeal, Enugu State, dated  February 12, 2013, instructing the Speaker not to swear-in Tony Nwoye  unless the motion for execution is discharged.

The motion for execution was then discharged accordingly: “the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu on 27/02/ 2013, struck out the said motion for stay of execution for lack of prosecution. Hon. Tony Nwoye wrote to Mr. Speaker and Clerk of the National Assembly in a letter dated  February 27, to swear him in because the only reason the National Assembly refused to swear him in has been cleared” a document made available by Nwoye’s lawyers stated.

Nwoye is therefore calling on the Speaker to act accordingly by swearing him in compliance with the court’s verdict as a lawmaker representing Anambra East/West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.