Four Years Of FRANKly Speaking For Oguta!
In 2019 you charged me to help restore effective representation of Oguta State Constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly. Your mandate and instructions were clear and it’s uniqueness inspired confidence and unquenchable thirst to succeed.
I have worn many hats in my life – lawyer, business man, farmer, patron of the youths – but being a lawmaker allowed me to focus my varied interests and experiences toward making laws of deep meaning to the great people of Imo State.
Leaving the Imo State House of Assembly is not unlike going down a high promontory with an unobstructed view. I was witness to the passage of history and persons, a privileged participant in charting the future of our very dear State.
I owe the Oguta electorates a great debt of gratitude for trusting me with four years of productive representation and my esteemed colleagues for entrusting me with various positions in this august chamber. Unshackled by instant needs and insistent clamour, I endeavoured to meet our state’s aspirations through pioneer pieces of legislation on Criminal Justice, Lands, Tenancy, Magistracy and social welfare and my unrelenting insistence on good governance. This is because Good Governance remained the heart of any of our solutions to the state’s problems. My insistence set the framework for government to keep its ranks in check and ultimately restore the public’s trust and confidence.
It is on record that I sponsored the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Imo State, 2020 which prides as the first of the two non-executive Bills passed into Law by the 9th House and first Bill signed into Law by the governor.
On your mandate, I sponsored the Imo State Magistrate Court Law, the uniqueness of this Law is not only that it elevated the Magistracy in our dear state but it made it possible for our state to move away from the Eastern States Magistrate Courts Law, which before now, was cited as applicable to Imo State.
On the issue of rents, i observed that our people were being harshly affected by the rent law applicable in the state. In response, I sponsored a Bill for a new Tenancy Law in Imo State. This Bill sought to put an end to the plights of both landlords and tenants in the state and bring about a one year rent payment regime.
As your representative, I felt the pains Property Owners and Investors go through with respect to land in the state. Your instructions being clear and direct, I did not sit out this pain. I responded with a Bill to prohibit activities that are inimical to your rights to your property. This I did by presenting the Anti Land Grabbing Bill.
While it is public knowledge that your representative, has to the credit of your mandate, the highest number of Bills signed into Law, I am also the Lawmaker with the highest number of Bills passed into law by the 9th House of the Imo State House of Assembly as well as the highest number of pending Bills. Your mandate being clear and direct, I also sponsored several interventionist Motions (I have not used the term ‘co sponsored’, your mandate being one devoid of stimulations, I need not make heavy whether with co-sponsored Bills and Motions which in their own rights remain to the credit of your mandate).
This feat was not only buoyed by my background as a Legal Practitioner and rights activist but by the love shown to me by the kind and lovely people of Oguta State Constituency and ever cherished Imo people.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank each one of you for the trust you have reposed in me in the past 4 years including your belief in my abilities to further represent you which you overwhelmingly expressed on the 18th of March, 2023 by giving me the majority of LAWFUL VOTES CAST on the ballot.
The outpouring of lawful votes is impressive, and warmly appreciated, but, however and momentarily thwarted by forces who do not represent the peace we fought to bring in our Constituency. An Honourable Chairman and a judge of a Customary Court and numerous others have been murdered, murdered while carrying out their lawful duties.
Today Agwa is on fire, peace has eluded Izombe. My immediate community Orsu Obodo and the entire Oru Ward is on fire. Egbuoma, Akabor, Awa, Ejemekwuru communities are not safe. Today none of our traditional rulers live in their domain. In fact the only safe community in Oguta LGA is just Oguta Ameshi while they continue to pride over the thwarting of our hard fought peace. Thus to them, power must be assumed at all costs even if it requires killing all of us.
I will go gently out of this institution, comforted by the thought, every waking day, that I had served out my mandate. I did it to the best of my ability, and always with the best interest of my Constituency.
This is what gives me the optimism to hope that after all is said and done, history’s judgment of my work in the 9th House will be kind.
I shall be blissfully content with being remembered as one who chose principles over meal tickets and did what was right rather than what was expedient. I shall be remembered as one who did not hide in safe harbours or allures of office but who sailed in open wind, sometimes against the gale of powers, out of the belief that one can only make progress if he sticks to and respects the mandate of his people.
I SHALL NOW PAY THE PRICE OF MY INTRANSIGENCE BUT I HAVE NO REGRETS.
As I do my duties as the Principal Partner of Frank Ugboma Chambers, I am inspired by the saying that there is an office higher than the House of Assembly and even higher than that of the Office of the President and that is the office of the patriot and as I discharge my duties as one, I shall continue to strive to sustain and nourish our democracy, our Oguta Constituency and our very dear Imo State.
To my supporters, thank you for traveling with me on the high but hard road. This is a short detour, a momentary pit stop. Do not be deterred. WE SHALL RESUME OUR JOURNEY SOON.
Yours in the service of Oguta State Constituency,
Hon (Barr) Frank Onyebuchi Ugboma
