-Assumes Role Of Court
-Vows To Imprison Nwosu, Shut Down Media House
The Imo State House of Assembly yesterday,abandoned other issues of concern to Imo people and deliberated on a report published in Nigeria Watchdog Newspaper where the APC chairman for Orlu LGA,Hon Stanley Nwosu accused his Lawmaker,Hon Ikenna Ihezuo, member representing Orlu State Constituency of attempting to divert 65 bags of rice meant for distribution to people of the area.
The said report was published in Nigeria Watchdog Newspaper,also owned by a Limited liability company(Juristic person).
Ihezuo had during the plenary moved a motion in the floor of the House calling on the Assemly to arrest, deal with the media house and Nwosu for daring to make public what transpired between him,the Sole Adminstrator for Orlu LGA(Solad) and the APC Chairman during the excericse.
Surprisely,the Assembly deliberated on this issue which it obivously lacks jurisdiction on and constituted a committee to be headed by some Lawmakers who have been mandated to in invite the Accuser.
This is even against so many supreme and Appeal Courts decided cases that the legistlative Arm of Government lacks power to summon any individual or establishment it has no bugetary or oversight function on.
One of the classical cases is Tony Momoh v. Speaker, House of Representatives (1982). It was held that a person had the right to refuse to disclose their source of information.
However, in Senate v. Tony Momoh (1983) the Court of Appeal held that the press is not a fourth arm of government as such not answerable to the Senate but Court in event the accuser feels he has been defamed and has approached the court to seek redress.
According to our source at the Imo State House of Assembly who pleaded Anonymity,the leadership of IMHA which had earlier barred Nigeria Watchdog Newspaper from covering its activities for being what they tagged “unfriendly Newspaper”,has vowed to use this opportunity shut down the media house and imprison Stanley Nwosu who is also known as Ochinawata.
Reacting to the development,the Editor of Nigeria Watchdog Newspaper,Sir Bonny Ajuogu,KSJ said,the company is yet to recieve any letter from the House of Assembly.
“We shall wait for the letter before we can comment or consult our Lawyer,adding that Imo has passed that stage where anyone will contemplate on gagging the press or take us back to stone age”.
