The Abia State PDP has described the unwarranted delay in swearing into office Hon. Aaron Uzodike, PDP member representing Aba North State Constituency as not only arbitrary, but also illegal, and disrespectful to the judiciary and laws of the land and capable of leading to a breakdown of the law and order not only in Aba North where they have been denied a voice in the way they are governed but also in the entire Abia State.


Abia PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah in a statement explained that Uzodike's mandate was restored by the Appeal Court in Lagos on November 27, 2023.


"Following the restoration of his mandate which removed Mr. Destiny Nwagwu from office, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC without delay issued a Certificate of Return with reference number SHA/0648/2023 to Hon. Aaron Uzodike and duly signed by the INEC  Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, preparatory to his immediate swearing into office and assumption of duty as stipulated by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and 2022 Electoral Act as Amended. 


"Surprisingly, more than three weeks after his mandate was restored and a Certificate of Return issued to him by INEC, Alex Otti Otti, the Speaker Emmanuel Emeruwa and the Labour Party have refused to swear him in to begin the arduous but interesting task of representing the good people of Aba North in the State House of Assembly so that they can begin to harvest the dividends of democracy. 


"It is quite unsettling and speaks to the penchant of the Labour Party in Abia State to be selective in their obedience to the rule of law and court judgements. Above all, it speaks to the authoritarian bent and tendencies of the present government and Abia PDP is once again vindicated for saying that Alex Otti and his Labour Party are autocrats disguising as democrats and do not represent the interests of the labourers and the masses", the party argued 


It urged Gov  Otti to prevail upon the  Speaker of the House of Assembly to immediately swear in  Uzodike to begin representing the good people of Aba North in the State House of Assembly.