A State House of Assembly is set to suspend its member, Hon. Abuchi Bernad Udemezue, representing Ayamelum State Constituency, for publicly disclosing his constituency allowance.
Newsmen gathered that Udemezue had publicly announced his constituency allowance and exposed some rot in the system.
A Facebook user, APGA Initiative Forum (AIF Media), posted on Friday that Udemezue revealed how the late member of the House, late Justice Azuka, was killed.“Please what is happening in Anambra State House of Assembly? Who is Abuchi Bernard Udemezue? I watched the 14mins video in which the said Abuchi revealed how Late Justice Azuka was killed,” the Facebook post read.
“There was a planned impeachment of the Speaker and Gov as at 22nd December 2024, but Azuka was lured to Awka on 24th December to come and collect Christmas rice, a journey he never returned alive. “Is this a state murder? Please, what is happening in Anambra State? Bikonu, I am really in shock and traumatised.”Justice Azuka, who represented Onitsha 1 North Constituency in the State Assembly, was reportedly kidnapped while returning home on Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha.
The late lawmaker, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), had regained his mandate after a court ruling ousted the previous winner, Douglas Egbuna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was initially declared the winner of the 2023 election.
Azuka was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in a swift operation that lasted less than five minutes on Ugwunaobankpa Road.However, in February, a combined security team found his decomposing body at the 2nd Niger Bridge.
The said revelations infuriated his colleagues in the House, prompting the member representing Aguata II Constituency, Hon. Tony Muobike, to move a motion demanding that the House investigate Udemezue.“Honourable colleagues, I like to bring the attention of the House to a very ugly situation that if not taken care of, will seriously damage the image and reputation of this House,” Muobike said.
“Mr. Speaker, one of our members and Honourable colleague, Bernad Udemezue, representing Anyamelum Constituency, for a few days now has been on the social media making comments that are, to my view, concerted and maliciously damaging the image of this House.“Not only that these comments damage the image of the House, most of the comments are also threatening the safety of the members of this Assembly.
“I believe that it is a very serious issue and if not taken care of, it is going to bring dire consequences. I therefore pray that the honourable causes an investigation into this very office in question to avoid further disaster,” Muobike added.
Following the motion, the Assembly, through a letter dated August 20, 2025, and signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Ikenna Ofodeme, invited Udemezue for questioning on Thursday over the matter.
The invitation letter sighted by Newsmen stated, “On behalf of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, I respectfully invite you to appear before the Committee at the Anambra State House of Assembly Complex, Awka, on Thursday, 21st August, 2025 by 10:00 am.
“Your presence is required to discuss matters pertinent to the Committee’s mandate. We value your cooperation and look forward to your contributions during this engagement.“Please treat this invitation with utmost importance.”
Whereas the details of Udemezue’s meeting with the House Committee on Thursday are yet unknown, Newsmen gathered that the Assembly was planning to suspend the lawmaker.However, activists and social media users have condemned any attempt by the Assembly to victimise the lawmaker for making the revelations.
AIF Media in another post on Facebook said, “Those revelations were done on a Facebook live video by Isi Enyi (Abuchi Bernard Udemezue). “He said so many things, but I am more interested in who and why the late Hon Justice Azuka was killed.
“Police, DSS, NIA, Nuhu Ribadu, etc. should independently investigate those revelations to rule out state murder.
“Are we going back to the time when late Barr Barnabas Igwe and his pregnant wife were killed after issuing impeachment threats to Gov Chinwoke Mbadinuju in 2002 over nonpayment of civil servant salaries and 1yrs public school closures? Are we? God!!!!!!!!!”MonitNG, a civic accountability organisation, has also called on Governor Soludo to intervene and prevent the intimidation of Hon. Abuchi, whose transparent disclosure of constituency allowances exemplifies the democratic accountability that should be emulated, not punished.
The group said, “Hon. Abuchi’s action should never be criminalized.
Instead, it should be commended as a bold step in the right direction. By revealing what he received as constituency allowance, he simply upheld the spirit of democracy , ensuring that the people, whose taxes fund government activities, are fully aware of how their money is spent.“Unfortunately, instead of celebrating this rare act of openness, the House has invited him before the Committee on Ethics and Privileges. Such a move reeks of intimidation and attempts to gag a legislator who dared to promote accountability. This development is troubling and threatens to undermine public trust in the legislature.”
It is important to emphasize that constituency allowances are not private entitlements of lawmakers. They are public funds, meant for the execution of development projects in communities. Citizens of Anambra have every right to know how these funds are allocated and spent. Keeping such information secret only fosters corruption, waste, and poor representation.”
Rather than silencing Hon. Abuchi, the House should follow his example by making transparency the new culture. If every lawmaker openly declared what they received and provided evidence of how it was utilized, confidence in public institutions would be strengthened and mismanagement drastically reduced.”
We therefore call on Governor @CCSoludo to rise to this occasion and ensure that such injustice does not take place under his watch. The Governor has consistently spoken about building a transparent, people-oriented administration, and this is a test of that commitment. Nigerians are watching closely to see if a lawmaker will truly be punished for doing the right thing making the public aware of how state funds are spent.
“This is not about Hon. Abuchi alone; it is about the future of accountability in Anambra State. Suspending him will send a dangerous signal that transparency is a crime, while secrecy and impunity are protected.”
