Leadnaija
The events of recent days in Umunneochi LGA are not only shocking—they represent a brazen and unprovoked assault on the very soul of democratic governance.
Today, July 1st, 2025, will be remembered not merely as a day of constitutional crisis, but as the day when democracy was padlocked shut under the unlawful directives of Mayor Sunny Afurobi.
As duty demands, elected councillors of the Umunneochi Legislative Council arrived for their constitutionally scheduled sitting, only to find the legislative chamber forcibly locked with a padlock.
This was no accident, no security measure, no procedural misstep. This was a calculated and deliberate act of executive sabotage, executed by an LGA staff member, Mr. Emmanuel Azubuike (aka Ogandieze), who shamelessly informed the Leader of the House that he was acting on direct orders from the Executive Chairman, the Mayor himself.
This is not the first affront. The Head of Personnel Management (HPM), Mrs. Onugu Nwakaego, who doubles as Clerk of the House, has for weeks withheld official sitting materials—including the Legislative Mace, Councillors’ gowns, and record books—on the claimed instruction of the same Mayor.
This ongoing dereliction of duty is a grotesque violation of her oath of office and her professional obligation to serve the legislature independently.
Despite these acts of aggression and suppression, the councillors carried on with their legislative business—open-air, under the sun—undeterred but certainly dishonoured by this undemocratic spectacle. Their courage must be recognised.
What Kind of Leadership Orders the Locking of a Democratic Institution?
Mayor Sunny Afurobi’s actions are unlawful, unethical, and unthinkable in any society governed by law and conscience. To order the shutting down of a legislative chamber, to deny elected representatives access to the tools of their office, and to incite a reign of fear within the local government secretariat is to declare war on the people who gave him his mandate.
When a Mayor, elected to uphold the law, becomes the chief violator of constitutional order, we are no longer dealing with leadership but with executive tyranny. This is not governance; this is executive banditry in public office.
The Precedent of Violence
Let it be remembered that this same legislative council has already suffered a violent invasion, documented in a formal complaint dated 7th June 2025, where hoodlums allegedly led by Hon. David Mba and Hon. Chukwubiko Ephraim Ofoegbu attacked the council, causing injuries to elected members, including Rt. Hon. Chukwudi Eze and others. No investigation. No arrest. No justice.
Instead, the Executive Chairman has only intensified his chokehold on the legislature. We are dealing with impunity emboldened by silence.
Weaponising Civil Servants Against the Legislature
Mayor Afurobi has now weaponised the machinery of civil service—Mr. Azubuike, the HPM, and likely others, against the very institutions they are mandated to serve. These public servants, either under duress or in betrayal of their oaths, have become active agents in the desecration of constitutional order.
This perversion of the civil service’s neutrality undermines the integrity of public administration and sets a dangerous and unsustainable precedent for any system of local governance.
The Shameful Lie: “He Has the Governor’s Backing”
Even more disturbing is the propaganda being circulated on social media, suggesting that Governor Alex Otti has “empowered” Mayor Afurobi to act with unchecked authority. This is not only demonstrably false, it is a direct insult to the Governor’s integrity and his image as a democrat and reformer.
Any such claim—unless directly affirmed by the Governor—is reckless, defamatory, and a deliberate attempt to drag the Governor’s name into executive lawlessness.
The Governor’s continued silence, however, may begin to be interpreted—however unfairly—as tacit approval. The people of Umunneochi, Abia State, and the nation at large are watching closely.
The Legal Abyss: Running an LGA Without a Finance & General Purpose Committee
The most worrisome and constitutionally infringing situation is that the entire Umunneochi Local Government Area is being run without a Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&G Committee). This committee, comprised of supervisory councillors, is a statutory and indispensable organ for:
• Preparing and approving LGA budgets,
• Awarding contracts and procurement,
• Oversight of public expenditure,
• Approving disbursement of public funds.
Without an F&G Committee, any expenditure by the Mayor is illegitimate, unlawful, and a clear case of financial mismanagement. It violates:
• Section 45 of the Abia State Local Government Law,
• The Nigerian Financial Regulations for Public Funds,
• The core principles of transparency, accountability, and separation of powers.
This creates a black hole of unmonitored spending—a fiscal dictatorship where public funds are spent without due process, scrutiny, or legislative consent. The Mayor, by bypassing the F&G mechanism, is misapplying public funds and exposing himself to serious anti-corruption liabilities.
This is not only abuse of power, it is a potential criminal offence that should be investigated by the Abia State Auditor-General for Local Governments, EFCC, and the Public Accounts Committee of the State Assembly.
Our Democracy Deserves Better
It is mind-blowing and morally revolting that in 2025, we must speak of padlocked chambers, stolen legislative instruments, beaten councillors, and governance without due process.
What next? Will the Mayor ban council motions? Arrest councillors?
Umunneochi is not a feudal enclave, and the Mayor is not a warlord. The Legislative Council is not a nuisance to be suppressed, but a co-equal branch of government, guaranteed by law and elected by the people. The doctrine of separation of powers is not optional—it is binding.
CALL TO ACTION
1. Immediate reopening of the Legislative Chamber and full restoration of legislative access and independence.
2. Unconditional release of all legislative materials by the HPM, including the mace, gowns, minutes, and voting registers.
3. A full investigation by the Ministry of Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs into these acts of executive aggression.
4. Disciplinary and legal action against all staff who acted unlawfully under the Mayor’s directive.
5. A public clarification from the Governor of Abia State, dissociating his office from these anti-democratic actions and reaffirming his commitment to rule of law.
History Is Watching
This is a defining moment. Either the democratic institutions of Umunneochi are defended now, or they will be dismantled by silence and cowardice.
Let history show that when democracy was attacked with padlocks, open-air courage held the line.
Kudos to the Umunneochi Legislative Council for standing bravely and performing their duties under attack.
The people are behind you. The Constitution is behind you. Justice is watching.
