ANAMBRA REPS SHUN LEGISLATIVE WORK FOR ONE WEEK

By NBF News

Ojukwu's body arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday from the London hospital where he died last November. It is currently being taken to different parts of South-east for a lying-in-state.

The Anambra lawmakers, clad in Ankara uniform, bearing the picture of Ojukwu, held a procession within the premises of the House. They were later joined by some lawmakers from the South-east.  At 11.am, they entered the House chamber where a plenary was going on.

Other lawmakers quickly gave them a standing ovation.

Briefing newsmen when they came out from the session, the caucus revealed that they had taken permission from the leadership of the House to stay away from all legislative duties to honour Ojukwu.

They called for the immortalisation of the erstwhile military governor of the defunct Eastern Region by the South-east governors.

Spokesperson of Anambra caucus Hon. Uche Ekwunife, said the group was saddened that Ojukwu  died at this time when she said the nation was in a precarious state. She explained that the decision not to participate in all legislatives duties for one week was to enable them participate in all burial activities.

Ekwunife, who eulogised Ojukwu's contributions to socio-political development of the country as well as Igbo nation, urged all the South-east governors to recognise him without further delay.

She said: 'The entire week is devoted to Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was the former military administrator in the South-East. Members of the Anambra State caucus decided to enter the House of Representatives today and gave him a symbolic entrance into the House and as a kind of national recognition considering the calibre of person he was and his contributions to development of this nation.

The lawmaker said: 'So, we felt we should facilitate the awareness for our colleagues to understand that throughout this week we are not going to be in the House because we are mourning one of our own. We are mourning our son, we are mourning our leader; we are mourning a great icon, someone who is acclaimed by the entire nation to be the true leader of the Igbos. That is basically the significant entrance you saw in the House today.'