Guardian Court Orders Release Of Lloyd’s Passport SATURDAY, 07 SEPTEMBER 2013 00:00 FROM KELVIN EBIRI, PORT HARCOURT NEWS - NATIONAL Lloyd-1 A PORT Harcourt High Court presided over by Justice Sobere Biambo, has ordered the release of the International passport of the majority leader of Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, on health grounds. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State Chapter had expressed its disapproval of the recent extension of life span of the Obio-Akpor caretaker committee by another three months by Governor Chibuike Amaechi. Lloyd is standing trial on a six-count charge, which included alleged conspiracy to murder a colleague, Okechukwu Chinda, during the bloody confrontation that erupted on the floor of the House on the July 9, 2013. The lawmaker has however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. It would be recalled that Justice Latam Nyordee of a Port-Harcourt High Court had seized the majority leader’s international passport after granting him bail in July. But Justice Biambo yesterday ordered that Lloyd’s passport should be released to him for six weeks following an application by his lead counsel, Beluolisa Nwofor (SAN). The lawmaker’s lawyer had told the Court that Lloyd needs his International passport to enable him travel abroad to receive better medical treatment following the injuries he sustained during the fierce fighting that ensued at the assembly when five lawmakers had made a futile attempt to impeach the Speaker, Otelemaba Amachree. The judge also ordered that Lloyd should return his International passport to the court on or before the October 28, 2013. The Special Adviser on Media to the State PDP Chairman, Jerry Needam, said under the provisions of section 64 (4) of the Rivers State Local Government Law of 2012, neither the National Assembly, State Assembly nor the Governor of the State can either extend, replace or reappoint the Caretaker Committee of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council or appoint a new Caretaker Committee member on the expiration of the statutory Ninety (90) days life span granted to the caretaker committee by the Rivers State Government Law (2012); and staying in office beyond the period allowed under the Law is illegal. “It is therefore the party’s view that the continued stay in office of the CTC of Obio/Akpor Council is illegal, a waste of the council’s resources and is detrimental to the overall interest of the good people of the area. It is our observation that the continued stay in office of members of the CTC has allowed room for them and even their spouses to be spending council’s resources on frivolities that have little or no bearing on the lives of the people of Obio/Akpor,” he said.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 18:59:59 +0000
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