Reason PDP member-elect hasn’t been sworn in – Abia deputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Austin Nmeregini, has explained why the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, member-elect for Aba North, Aaron Uzodike, has not been sworn in.

Recall that the Court of Appeal Owerri Division, which sat in Lagos, had on November 27, 2023, sacked the former member representing the constituency, Hon. Destiny Nwagwu of the Labour Party and declared Aaron as the duly elected member.

Since then, attempts by the lawmaker-elect  to be sworn in by the Speaker, have been unsuccessful.

Uzodike and his party, the PDP, have argued that the Court of Appeal remains the final bus stop for House of Assembly electoral disputes, but his swearing in has been stalemated.

Fielding questions from newsmen after declaring open a free medical outreach by the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, at Nkata Ibeku, weekend, the Deputy Speaker said that Uzodike would be sworn in as soon as the bottlenecks stalling the process were cleared.

” He will be sworn in as soon as all legal issues surrounding that case are settled.”

Declaring the medical mission open earlier, the Deputy Speaker commended NYSC for the patriotic initiative.

He said it would complement the efforts of Government to provide quality health care services for his constituents.

The Deputy Speaker urged the people to take advantage of the outreach to improve their health status.

Noting that “not only medication that enhances the health status”, the Deputy Speaker advised the people especially youths to abstain from the consumption of substances particularly hard drugs that could endanger their health.

The Deputy Speaker who was one of the sponsors of the exercise, pledged his continued support for the outreach.

Speaking earlier, the State Coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Ufuoma Dick-Iruenabere, said  the  initiative under the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD) programme of the corps, wis aimed  at mobilizing corps medical personnel, alongside medical equipment and supplies “generously contributed by compassionate Nigerians to provide  free medical services to  underserved rural communities”.

She said that the exercise which was the first quarter HIRD outreach programme by NYSC in the state, was the corps’ own little way of giving back to its host communities.

The NYSC boss explained that the exercise was conducted in collaboration with the relevant health authorities in the state to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both corps members and beneficiaries.

Some of the beneficiaries, Mr Obioma Ogbonna, and Madam Josephine Nwoko, expressed their gratitude to NYSC for the gesture.