Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere may be the man in the news in Imo State at the moment following discoveries that “powerful” forces within government circle are seriously working to undermine his position as the number two person in the State.
After enjoying a robust relationship with the governor who happens to be his long time principal and political mentor, the fortunes of Madumere is at the verge of witnessing challenges if recent developments are anything to go by.
A grand design to silence the Deputy Governor is said to be brewing and being projected by some powerful elements in Rescue Mission government.
The tackles Madumere is receiving is coming in form of a plained impeachment to be executed by the members of the State House of Assembly working in concert with interested parties in Government House Owerri. This impeachment plot is coming against repeated game plan to starve him of funds and reduce his authority and influence to hinder him from having interest to run as a governorship aspirant under APC.
Madumere’s offence may not be unconnected to last week Wednesday’s solidarity rally APC members organized in his favour for the 2019 governorship race.
Several formidable groups including youths and women last week put up a show to show solidarity towards Madumere as good replacement to the governor. Also Imo State Amalgamated Markets and Traders Association, ISAMATA enjoined other well spirited Imolites and beyond to tacitly call for support of Madumere’s governorship ambition following his contributions and selflessness since the inception of Okorocha led Rescue Mission government.
It appears that the said “powerful forces” in Govt House are no longer comfortable with the massive support Madumere is receiving as a better successor to Okorocha than others. The solidarity rally, Trumpeta learnt dazzled others who have started exploiting means to undermine the Deputy Governor’s office and render him irrelevant.
Part of the plot, this newspaper learnt, was to use members of the House to execute the project. Authoritative sources revealed that Madumere’s Owerri zone background and rising profile as the most favourite to clinch the APC governor ship ticket has sent shivers down the spines of other likely aspirants in the governor’s political family.
Trumpeta was informed that discussion with the lawmakers on the pattern and method of removing the Deputy Governor has commenced. “As I am talking to you, something like that is going on”, a source in Govt House who preferred anonymity revealed.
“Don’t you know the massive support and unprecedented crowd the pro- Madumere group pulled on that day was overwhelming and surprising even to the governor that they are now thinking of using the House of Assembly to pull the rug off his feet. The discussion has started”, the source added.
A correspondent of the newspaper who was at the House of Assembly and observed the visitors who came to the complex gave further flesh to the suspicion that lawmakers will be employed to axe the Deputy Governor even as it was learnt that the pro-Madumere did not go down well with the governor who was reported to have felt otherwise.
Agents of the suspected “powerful forces” were spotted in the Assembly complex last week having secret discussion with the leadership. Trumpeta noticed the presence of top government appointees and a pre Rescue Mission Government traditional ruler who steathly breezed into the complex to have a quiet discussion with the leadership unlike in the past when such officials visit the complex for officials functions of government, our correspondent noticed that private discussion took place in the complex when the lawmakers were on break from plenary session and no slated official assignment contained in the protocol manifest.
Though, the private meeting was held behind closed doors, there are indications that the move for the impeachment cannot be ruled out.
Efforts to reach the Speaker or any of the principal officials of the State legislature for confirmation proved abortive. A lawmaker who does not want his name on print only acknowledged the visits of top officials but did not go further by adding that it was a “private” meeting.
Meanwhile, in what can be described as another move to counter the solidarity march in support of Madumere, this newspaper gathered that another Rescue Mission government strong apostle, Chief Uche Nwosu may also have sympathizers storming the streets for him any moment from now. Apparently rattled by the support Madumere got, Trumpeta was told that not less than N200m has been earmarked for the pro Nwosu rally.
A youth leader who is privy to the coming pro Nwosu march revealed that the solidarity became necessary as the number of those who want Madumere as Okorocha’s successor has become unprecedented. “It was unbelievable that such mammoth crowd still believes in Madumere having been starved of funds to the level of stifling his ambition”, he said.
The source further gave an insight that in consideration of the huge financial chest of their principal, the number of pro Nwosu solidarity group will overwhelm that of Madumere.
