10th House: Ugochinyere’s Motion Ranked Amongst Top 10 in Six Months

In spite of the many distractions of the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, which also includes post election litigations, an independent report of the National Assembly has rated him amongst the top 10 lawmakers.

The rating, which was an official information released weekend to mark the end of 2023 legislative business, was based on quality of motions and bills sponsored or co-sponsored by the 360 members of the 10th House of Representatives in the period under review.

The 10th National Assembly was inaugurated on June 13, 2023, with Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as the Speaker and Hon. Benjamin Kalu as his deputy.

According to information by parliamentary monitoring organisation, Order Paper, which was widely published on its official website and other adjoining platforms, a motion on the ‘Arbitrary increase in Petroleum Price’ sponsored by Ugochinyere on July 19, 2023, was rated as being the highest human interest motion, barely one month into the journey of the 10th House of Representatives.

Aside the motion on the arbitrary hike in the price of petroleum products, which has caused serious hardship to the Nigeria’s populace, the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also reputable for sponsoring over six motions which have direct bearings on his constituents and Nigerians at large.

Some of the motions reportedly sponsored by Ugochinyere within six months include, ‘Urgent Need To Proffer A Lasting Solution to The Devastating Gully Erosion/Total Road Collapse in Isiekenesi, Urualla, Obodukwu, Umueshi, Amanator, Arondizuogu, Akokwa and Other Villages and Communities in Ideato North/South Federal Constituency Of Imo State’; ‘Urgent Need to Carry Out Reconstruction Works on the Failed Portions of the Oba-Nnewi-Uga-Akokwa-Arondizuogu-Okigwe Federal Road in Idemili North/South, Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo, Aguata and Ideato North/South Federal Constituencies of Anambra and Imo States of Nigeria’.

Ugochinyere, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), was also said to have sponsored a ‘Motion for Urgent Need to Rebuild the Collapsed Akokwa-Umuchima-Mgbe-Orlu Federal Road and to Reconstruct the Collapsed Mgbe-Umuezeala-Ogboko Bridge in Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State’; ‘Motion on the Need for the House to Receive the 2021 OIl and Gas Industry Report of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in Line With Section 4(3) of the NEITI Act’, among others.

The lawmaker was also reported to have sponsored well over 11 bills, some of which have passed second reading with some at the final stage of passage in a space of six months.

Notable amongst the bills are, the ‘Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023 (HB, 198)’; ‘The Interpretation Act (Amendment) Bill 2023 (HB. 27), which he co-sponsored with the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Kalu and five other members, amongst others.

Aside having stiff oppositions from his Imo State in the buildup to the 2023 general election, Ugochinyere also had a litany of litigations, both pre and post election.

The Imo State National Assembly and State Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal had also sacked Ugochinyere in September 2023, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh poll in Ideato North/South Federal Constituency within 90 days.

But the Appeal Court panel led by Justice Abubakar Babandi Gumel of the Lagos Division of Court of Appeal, in November, set aside the ruling of the tribunal which had sacked Ugochinyere, thereby giving him a sigh of relief to settle down for legislative business in the National Assembly.