National Accord Newspaper

Tambuwal pledges due process over Nwoye, Ameke tussle

The leadership of the House of Representatives Tuesday pledged to follow due process in resolving

the ongoing tussle over the Anambra East/West Federal constituency seat.

Speaker Aminu Tambuwal gave the assurance in Abuja while addressing the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria
(NANS) who staged protest at the entrance of the National Assembly in solidarity in favour of Tony Nwoye, a former President
of NANS and one time Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Anambra State.

Nwoye and Chriscato Ameke, a serving legislator are in court over who was the bonafide candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 2011 elections.

The students under the aegis of NANS barricaded the entrance leading to the National Assembly, causing vehicular traffic for
several hours.

In a swift reaction, Tambuwal who acknowledged the right of the students to protest against what they considered as an injustice
against their former leader(Nwoye) however assured that the House would ensure that justice is done to both parties.

The Speaker explained that the Order of Mandamus which Nwoye has been brandishing was not issued on the House but on the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The Order of Mandamus is on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and not on the House of Representatives. We on this other side have the responsibility of listening to both sides and we have done that and that is why we are using our internal mechanism and following due process to resolve the matter.

“It is better to do the right thing to both parties than rushing to make a costly mistake. We want to ensure that at the end of the day
neither Nwoye nor Ameke suffers any injustice."

Speaking earlier, Yinka Gbadebo, NANS National President of NANS, urged the leadership of the House to immediately admit
Nwoye as the authentic winner of the 2011 election.

He argued that Nwoye had not only secured a Certificate of Return but had scaled all the legal hurdles that hitherto impeded his being sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives.