By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Abia State House of Assembly on Wednesday denied Journalists attached to the Assembly access into the hallowed chamber to cover proceedings of the day during its plenary.

Interacting with lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) extraction after they staged another walkout making, the third time in the last one week, the member representing Obingwa East State Constituency, Hon. Solomon Akpulonu, said upon arrival into the Chamber for the business of the day, they observed the presence of Police officers and Department of State Security (DSS) operatives inside the hallowed chamber.

According to the Lawmaker, they became apprehensive when they discovered that Journalists were not on ground to observe plenary and therefore called on the Speaker to excuse the officers and afterwards the Deputy Clerk and Sergeant at Arms informed the officer to excuse them.

Hon. Akpulonu also disclosed that they staged another walkout because they discovered that the votes and proceedings of what transpired on Tuesday, July 4th, 2023, still had the names which they objected to last time, adding that they could not be part of what he described as “irregularities” in the 8th Assembly until the matter was resolved in court.

He further revealed that the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has not intervened in the situation, saying that he (the Governor) could not claim not to be aware of what was going on in the House. The lawmaker stressed that what he expected from the Governor was to call the lawmakers together so that things would be resolved amicably as the members had pledged to support him so that his administration could succeed.

Akpulonu also accused the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, saying he was aware that what they were doing was wrong.