A group of US-based Imo indigenes, the Mbano National Assembly (MNA), has reacted to Tuesday’s Supreme Court verdict that effected a change of government in its home state.
The judgment replaced Mr Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party with Sen. Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress as governor, almost eight months after the former assumed the office.
The MNA’s reaction came through its President, Mr Basil Njoku, in an interview with the NAN in New York on Friday.
Njoku decried the negative impact of premature change in government on development, a situation he blamed on disregard for the rule of law by actors in the electoral process.
He also decried the delay in adjudication of election petition cases in the country, noting that it distracts the government of the day and scares investors.
Njoku said: “It is important that cases are resolved expediently so that it creates room for those in government to begin immediately and institute policies that would last.
“For example, contracts already signed by the government of Ihedioha will now be subject to the whims of the new government.
“No investor is willing to do business with a government battling with election cases in court with no assurance of being there tomorrow.
“In every society, there are bound to be litigation, but the speed with which those cases are dealt with is essential to creating an enabling environment for people to move on.
“When cases keep languishing in courts, the government in power is not sure of tomorrow, so they are edgy and unwilling to take certain bold actions to improve the lives of the people.”
He noted that the interest of MNA, a politically neutral nongovernmental and charity organisation, was the development of Imo and not the party or people in power.
To this end, he said the association was ready to work with any government to improve the living condition of the people.
“Our take is let the people’s business be taken care of, the business of infrastructure, security, light, healthcare and rural development.
“At the end of the day, people don’t really care which party is in power, so long as government is responsive to their needs.
“I am heartened by what the immediate past governor said. With humility, he handed over the case to God and asked the people to work with his successor.
“So, any reasonable society must work with whoever is in power to deliver for the people,’’ he added.
Njoku said the goal of MNA was to work with government to deliver its various charity projects and programmes in the state, including an ultra-modern surgical theatre at the Mbano Joint Hospital.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
