House Summon: “You can’t be a judge in your own case”, Commissioner tells Ebonyi Speaker.
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Capital City Development and Urban Development, Barr. Onyekachi Nwebonyi has described his summons by the state House of Assembly as illegal and vowed that he will not honour it
Nwebonyi said that Ebonyi Assembly Speaker Francis Nwifuru who summoned him had a case in the Ministry and could not have been the judge in his own case.
Recall that Ebonyi state House of Assembly had summoned the state commissioner for Capital city Development Barr. Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, to the House, over alleged flagrant abuse of office, unwholesome molestation of Ebonyians and wanton destruction of properties belonging to the good people of Ebonyi State.
Nwaebonyi in a Press briefing in Abakaliki who described his summon by the Ebonyi State Assembly as not only illegal, but the transfer of personal aggression said he will not honour an illegal summon.
The Commissioner maintained that anyone who felt the Ministry had exceeded its limit should go to the court and seek redress, rather than arrogating illegal powers to him or herself.
He said, “How can I answer the summon of the House – illegal summon? The summon is an illegal one because the person summoning me is transferring personal aggression, but I don’t want to go into that because the matter has been laid to rest.
“The person summoning me – he has a case here. He has a case with the Ministry, so, he can’t be the judge in his own case. If you feel we have gone astray, go to court.
“We have the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary arms of the Government and we have our respective duties. So, if you feel that anyone has exceeded its limit, you go to the third arm which is the Judiciary and seek redress. Just as I said, the matter has been laid to rest, because the summon is an illegal one.”
The Commissioner said he did not regret describing those complaining against the operations of the Ministry as illiterates, because according to him, no educated person can make such a complaint.
“I described those who are complaining against our action as illiterates, and I have not regretted using that language, because an educated person should know that a capital city is different from a village. And in a Capital City such as Ebonyi, there are specified measurements which a street must be,” he stated.
Nwebonyi also stated that the state has prohibited street hawking and advised those complaining against the action carried out by his office should rather seek redress from the judiciary arm of government as according to him, his office has not gone contrary to the law
