The member Representing Afikpo North East State Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Ngọzi Eziulo has alleged that her entitlements and salary were stopped for refusing to defect to the All Progressive Congress (APC).
She also denied writing any letter to the House announcing her defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Lawmaker said she has no reason to leave the party which has been so good to her.
She stated this on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital. She was reacting to a letter purportedly written by her and another colleague, Oliver Osi (Ivo constituency) and read on the floor of the House on Monday by Speaker Francis Nwifuru.
Nwifuru said the letters written by the duo was to notify the House and lawmakers that they have defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). Both lawmakers were absent during the plenary sitting when the said letters were read on the floor of the House.
Eziulo, while speaking to the Media on Tuesday said she never authored such letter and challenged the House leadership to produce a copy of such letter bearing her signature to prove that she wrote it.
She said: “I never wrote the letter and can never write such letter. I am still wondering how they came about such letter. That letter is a forgery. If they said I have resigned let them bring such letter let me see it with my signature”. “I am considering legal action because that letter is forged and you know forgery is a criminal offence”.
The lawmaker alleged that she has not been paid her salary and entitlements since the governor defected to All Progressive Congress (APC) because of her refusal to join the APC.
The governor defected to the ruling party from the PDP in December 2020 with the lawmaker alleging that all her entitlement including salaries were stopped because of her refusal to join the governor and other lawmakers who defected with the governor. “Ever since the governor defected, I have not been paid my entitlement including salary.
“When I asked, they said their reason is that I have not joined them in APC, that once I join, they will start paying.
“I told them if that is the condition I will never join and they are still holding on to it”, she said. She noted that despite series of letters and reminders by her Lawyers to the House for her entitlements to be paid the House has vehemently refused to pay her. She said instead her life was being threatened by those who are hell bent on forcing her to join the APC.
“My Lawyer has written them twice asking them to pay my entitlement but they have refused. “In fact they have threatened to take my official car. They have also been threatening my life, by saying they will send their thugs after me all because I refused to join them”, she alleged.
The Lawmaker said despite not being paid her entitlements, she has always attended sittings and other functions of the house. She vowed to remain with the PDP as the party’s stakeholders and leaders have stood by her since her ordeal in the house started.
“I don’t see any reason why I should leave my party PDP. This is a party that brought me to the House. I am somebody that will ever remain grateful to people that do me good. PDP did me well so I can’t leave the party’. “I have people that voted me into power. I didn’t vote myself into power. So I can’t just leave without their permission and approval’.
“When the issue of defecting to the APC came up, I asked for time to consult with my constituents and stakeholders who gave me the mandate. “I consulted them and they told me to remain in PDP, so I remained in PDP.
I have love for my people and they have love for me. So if they said I wrote such a letter, I am saying to you here right now that I didn’t write such, it is fake. If they said I wrote and submitted it yesterday, I was in Abuja, so how is that possible?” She further raised the alarm that the House may be plotting to suspend her from the House very soon. “I have been quiet in the house but that doesn’t mean I am weak. They should not take my quietness for weakness.
“I know after this they will likely suspend me. I won’t be surprised if they do that. They have already planned to suspend me but I am not bothered. I have God and he will fight for me. Justice will always prevail in the long run”.
“Since they stopped my salary and entitlement, I have been surviving because God has been providing for me through my stakeholders and party Leaders who have stood by me. “And that is the reason why I said I can’t leave the party because I have a lot of support from them”.
“Even without being paid my salary and other entitlements, I have been attending plenary and my other legislative duties. I came to the House to provide quality leadership to my people not for any financial gain. So I have not allowed the non-payment of my entitlements to affect my legislative duties”, she said.
