Anambra Assembly suspends lawmaker for three months over social media post

The Anambra State House of Assembly has suspended the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, Bernard Udemezue, for three months. 
 

The suspension was announced during plenary on Tuesday August 26. Udemezue’s suspension followed a post he made on social media. 
 

In a WhatsApp message shared by the lawmaker to a group mostly populated by his constituents, Udemezue revealed his allowances as a lawmaker. 
 

He also disclosed that he receives N10 million quarterly from the state government for projects in his constituency. 
 

The disclosures did not go down well with his colleagues in the Assembly. 

A report presented by the House Committee on Rules, Business, Ethics and Privileges chaired by the Majority Leader and member representing Ekwusigo Constituency, Sir Ikenna Ofodeme, recommended Udemezue’s suspension for three months without salary. 
 

The committee described Udemezue’s conduct as unparliamentary, and recommended that he should not be seen within the Assembly for the period of the suspension. 

Udemezue who had been calling out the Assembly leadership on the social media, insisted that he did nothing wrong. 
 

He stressed that his sole aim of revealing his emoluments was to update his constituents on his stay in the Assembly. 
 

Udemezue insisted that he was only being victimized because he revealed that lawmakers collect N10 million quarterly for projects in their constituencies. 
 

According to him, some of the lawmakers pocket theirs, and as a result were angry about the revelation.