My attention has been drawn to an article with the headline ‘Rejoinder: Samuelson Iwuoha’s Guerilla Press Release and Other Related Matters’ written by my ex-colleague at the office of the Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Mr. Godson Amadikwa (Special Adviser on Legislative matters) and published by the TRUMPETA Newspapers Edition of January 9^th 2014, page 6. Other state papers also published the article in question.

Ordinarily, I would have ignored completely the said article because of the obvious lies contained in the said write-up. But as a man of integrity, credibility and honour, I have decided to respond. Not because it is worth responding to, but because truth can never be defeated by trailer loads of falsehood.

The office of the Speaker through Mr. Godson Amadikwa said/wrote and I quote “it is pertinent to note that Samuelson’s grouse and grievances arose as a result of

(1) His unpaid one month salary while on suspension must be paid against the ethics of a work place.

(2) The imprest attached to the office of SSA Media should be re-allocated to his new office as SSA Special duties.

(3) A car must be provided to his new office even when the demands and needs of that office do not arise.

(4) He refused till date to hand over to the new Media Aide the accoutrements and facilities attached to the Media Unit, including the keys of the official vehicle of the media unit, because he believes that heading the media unit is his birth right”. Unquote.

MY DEFENCE

It is very obvious that the bunch of nonentities parading as Speaker’s aides are out to continually embarrass Rt. Honourable Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu. Otherwise why should a right thinking aide make the above claims? Are these people really wishing Mr. Speaker well? I therefore put it to Mr. Godson Amadikwa that he and his cohorts have once again brought the office of the Speaker to public disrepute with my following defence.

(1) I was not the only aide of the Speaker that has gone or went on suspension. Others who equally went on suspension all received their salaries. So far, a total of Nine (9) people have gone on suspension. How come eight (8) of these people all received their salaries except Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha? The Director of Accounts (IMHA) can confirm that eight persons out of nine persons from the office of the Speaker were paid their salaries when they came back from suspension with the exception of Citizen Samuelson because he is not from Ihitte/Uboma Local Government. If they were not paid salaries, I would not have bothered. Since a precedence had been set with the payment of salaries to the eight persons (one male and seven females), Citizen Ikenna Samuelson deserves to be paid his July 2013 salary. Full stop.

I never requested that the imprest for Media Department be transferred to the Special Duties department. Rather, I officially requested in my letter to the Speaker on the 20^th of August 2013 to approve an imprest for me to function in my new assignment. I still have a copy of that letter.

I also officially requested in my letter to the Speaker on the 20^th of August 2013 to approve an official vehicle for me so as to function in my new assignment. The Speaker responded with his own mouth on the 18^th of October 2013 by asking me to bring a car dealer to supply a personal car (specifically a Toyota Camry 2006 Model). But the Ihitte/Uboma cabal led by Mr. Kodichi Anamekwe, Kingsley Ndubueze, Godson Amadikwa, Mr. Ugwu and Mr. Ifeanyi Nwannenna openly told Mr. Speaker to drop the idea of buying any vehicle for me (whether official or personnel). These people instead sold a dummy to Mr. Speaker that “Samuelson was sponsoring negative write-ups against him”. So when I brought the car dealer who came with the vehicle, Mr. Speaker started playing “politics”.

The claim that I did not hand over to the acting SSA Media is not only false but it has further proved that the people parading themselves as Imo Speaker’s aides are just out to embarrass Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu. I went on suspension on the 11^th of July 2013; I handed over everything to the acting SSA Media. The only material I did not hand over was my pen, Internet facilities and machinery, because they are my personal property. On the 15^th of July 2013, I decided to document the materials and property I handed over to the Acting SSA Media (see attached) which I forwarded to Mr. Kingsley Nkemka, Special Adviser on Administration and copied to Mr. Emeka Ahaneku (Acting SSA Media). I also copied the Rt. Honourable Speaker, the Chief of Staff and the Speaker’s Sister.

My suspension in July 2013 was to be for three months but I fought my way back through humility, showing genuine remorse, and official apology and of course intervention of prominent people in the state. I came back on the 12^th of August 2013 (exactly one month after) against the original three months deal. My coming back shattered the Chief of Staff’s plans. My coming back also shattered the Acting SSA Media’s plans. When I was asked by the Speaker to move to a newly created department – Special Duties, I accepted because I saw it as all embracing and encompassing. If I did not hand over to the acting SSA Media, how come he has been driving the official white Media Bus since July 2013? He equally has a Toyota Camry 2006 model which Mr. Speaker bought for him in February 2012, just like Mr. Speaker bought for Kingsley Ndubueze, Emmanuel Adoba, and the rest vehicles except Citizen Ikenna Samuelson. If I did not hand over, why has it taken the office of the Speaker over six months to complain, even when I returned from my suspension on the 12^th of August 2013, remained in the same office till I resigned on the 17^th of December 2013? (Please see my hand written resignation letter attached). Why did they have to wait for me to resign before they would complain of not handing over in July 2013? This is absolute madness. They have just proved that they are a bunch of fraudsters parading as Imo Speaker’s aides.

Also the “after thought” allegation that I am still owing media houses despite receiving approval and payment is false. The truth is that the media department is still owing some media houses as follows:

National Question Newspapers (N50,000)

Herald Express Newspapers (N50,000)

Statesman Newspapers (N50,000)

As for Newspoint Newspapers, I have a personal transaction with them of which I owe them. It has nothing to do with the Office of the Speaker.

The Rt. Hon. Speaker approved funds for payment to the above listed three media houses, but the Chief of Staff refused to tick them for final payment and this contributed to the delay in payment. This assertion can be confirmed from the accounts department of the Imo State House of Assembly. I still have uncleared (unclaimed) approvals in the Accounts Department which funds belong to me because I used my personal money to settle some debts and the accounts department is yet to reimburse me. This can also be cross-checked. My truth is always constant. EZIOKWU BU NDU.

At this point, let me ask; why did Mr. Speaker allow Emeka Ahaneku to be collecting imprests in two places (1) As SSA General Duties and (2) Acting SSA Media? Why did Speaker Uwajumogu promote all his brothers from Ihitte/Uboma who came in with me in June 2011 as SSA’s to Special Advisers leaving out only Citizen Samuelson? Why did Speaker Uwajumogu promote all his brothers from Ihitte/Uboma who were my juniors at the office when we came in June 2011 to the status of SSA’s even though they are all unproductive? Why did Speaker Uwajumogu approve the salaries of all those who went on suspension except Citizen Ikenna Samuelson? Why did Speaker Uwajumogu allow his so called Chief of Staff to convert a whole state office of the Speaker to an Ihitte/Uboma constituency office? It is very obvious that clannish sentiments have taken over the office of the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly. Yet I, Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, as an outsider contributed more in making Rt. Honourable Benjamin Uwajumogu the Speaker. His so called brothers from Ihitte/Uboma were nowhere to be found when it mattered most in May 2011.

Well, these are mere distractions, and which cannot change my unquenchable desire to prove that the Chief of Staff (Mr. Kodichi Anamekwe) and Mr. Emeka Ahaneku (Acting SSA Media) are fraudsters, criminals and thieves masquerading as Imo Speaker’s senior aides. I have started developing my Part Two of the article entitled ‘Accountability and Transparency In Imo State: The Legislative Perspective’.

I promise the public that it is going to be very revealing unlike the part one. I am going deeper and deeper in exposing fraud in the Speaker’s office. Nobody will distract me.

It is very unfortunate that Rt. Honourable Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu has allowed his Chief of Staff (Mr. Kodichi Anamekwe) to desecrate his office. An office which was few months ago the envy of so many people in the state has been reduced and turned into a laughing stock. All these have inadvertently affected the political profile of Mr. Speaker. Imo people now see him as a clannish person; he will not go beyond 2015. As for Kodichi Anamekwe (the Chief of Staff), his political career has already come to a shameful end. I do not have time for Emeka Ahaneku. He will surely end up the way greedy, selfish and self centered people normally end up very soon. Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity. His wife and children will beg for food but nobody will assist them. Nobody will come to their help. Amen. If a man returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. He who sows injustice reaps calamity. Bread of deceit is sweet to the mouth, but afterwards the same mouth will be filled with gravels and stones. Amen. This is my curse on him. I am therefore calling on the public to discountenance the antics of Mr. Godson Amadikwa and his cohorts at the Speaker’s office; nobody will divert my attention from exposing the whole scam going on in that office.

I rest my pen.

•Citizen (Dr.) Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha FCAI is former Senior Special Assistant on Media and immediate past Senior Special Assistant Special Duties to the Imo Speaker Uwajumogu (shown in photo).

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