A lawmaker representing Oguta state constituency, at the Imo state House of Assembly, Frank Ugboma, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Friday came under heavy criticisms for denying sponsoring the controversial Administration of Criminal Justice Law, No 2, 2020.
Ugboma in Owerri, came out to make a volte-face regarding section 484 of the law, which was alleged to have given power to a governor of a state to detain a person.
However, not comfortable with the public outcry against a section of the law, Ugboma, denied that he was not aware of section 484 of the law he sponsored at the state Assembly after about seven months it was signed into law in March 2020.
A process of the passage of the law which started last year under the administration of governor Emeka Ihedioha was inherited by governor Hope Uzodimma.
Ugboma’s denial was captured as saying: “As the Chief Sponsor of the Bill, I have had cause to search through all the documents that cumulated into the Bill. I must say that I have done this repeatedly and have equally taken further pains in reaching out to my colleagues in the House. I must admit that they have each expressed shock over the sudden obnoxious sections of the Law more particularly Section 484 of the said ACJL of Imo State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Bill I presented had about a total of 372 Sections. How and where it was amended, recreated and reshaped into Section 484 and beyond remains a mystery and a legislative wonder of our time.
“As what I presented and circulated to my colleagues during plenary, both in the First and Second readings did not contain such obnoxious and embarrassing Section 484.”
Vanguard
