Enugu State House of Assembly has ordered the police to arrest the Accountant General (AG) of the state, Mr. Paschal Okolie, and bring him before the House on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 to explain why he has refused to release overhead funds due to the Assembly.
Moving the motion, Ude- Okoye representing Awgu North said it was in accordance with Section 129 Sub-section 12 of 1999 Constitution, as amended, pointing out that the accountant general had continually flouted the order of the House to appear before it.
The House had on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 issued an order on the Accountant General, Okolie, to appear before it on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 but he failed to appear.
The Assembly had on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 suspended Johnbull Nwagu, representing Udi North State Constituency for alluding to the House as a ‘powerless one’.
The suspended Nwagu, who was the chairman of House Committee on Finance and Appropriation before his indefinite suspension, was alleged to have told one of his colleagues that they would not get their overhead for failing to approve the over N11 billion loan presented to them by the out going governor, Sullivan Chime.
Still boiling over Nwagu’s uncomplimentary comment, the House yesterday ordered the arrest of Okolie for neglecting to answer to their summon to explain why the legislative arm should not get its overhead for the legislative function.
Moving a motion for the arrest of the accountant general, Ude-Okoye said Okolie had refused to appear before them and for that reason they had to exercise their constitutional power to, “compel him,” to appear before them.
According Sun Online, the Enugu Assembly has been having a running battle since the legislature refused to approve an N11 billion loan request by the governor.
That refusal was believed to be the reason behind the withholding of the overhead due to the Assembly by the state accountant general.
