…Ichita is a charlatan, should be brought to book for malicious assertions – Abia Govt
Foremost civil rights group, One Love Foundation has slammed the Abia State Government over alleged attempt to gag and intimidate the member representing Aba South State constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita. Ichita is the only member of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the House if Assembly.
This is following the court injunction secured against the lawmaker by the State Director of NEWMAP Project, Mr Izuchukwu Onwughara, on behalf of himself and the State Government.
The group claimed that the lawmaker is being persecuted because he “has consistently questioned the whereabouts of the N27.4 billion that Abia State Government received from the World Bank for construction works in Aba”.
The group through its legal representative, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr., said the attempt to gag the opposition lawmaker using a court order “is an attack on the concept of free speech, open access to information and blatant attack on accepted democratic and constitutional rights to freedom of expression.”
The group promised to support and defend the lawmaker until he gets justice.
However, responding on the development, the Abia State Commisioner for Information, Barrister Eze Chikamnayo told Jungle-Journalist.Com that the State government will not join issues with Honourable Ichita, accusing him of false, malicious and mendacious assertions against the government. The Commisioner also argued that Abia government would support the law in order to bring the APGA leader to book for lying against the state.
The statement read “Abia State Government will at all times promote and protect the hallowed Democratic Freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution.
“However, we do not join issues with charlatans like Ichita and other such opportunistic political wayfarers.
“If indeed, he is legitimately being brought to justice for the very many false, malicious and mendacious assertions of his..through which he is mischievously trying to overheat the peaceful atmosphere in Abia State, we will not hesitate to support the Law to take it’s course.
“This is the right thing to do, not just for misguided infantile politicians like Ichita but for others like him whose stock in trade is to distort and destroy facts in pursuit of banal self serving, sadistic ends”, Chikamnayo stated.