The renewed face-mending gestures the Owelle Rochas Okorocha-led administration is having with the members of the Imo State House of Assembly is yielding dividends at the moment. Apart from settling certain differences that elicited divergent views in the past, the state legislature has concluded arrangements to approve fresh N1bn loan to the state governor Tuesday next week when the House resumes plenary.
It would be recalled that following election shift, the lawmakers called off their break to return to the chamber for plenary where two prominent actions were considered. There include submission of adhoc committee report on creation of new autonomous committees and confirmation of Transition Committee Chairmen for the 27 LGAs.
The lawmakers were at the verge of going ahead with the proposal for the approval of the N1bn loan for Okorocha during this week’s sitting before power failure struck to cause darkness, no thanks to the ailing generator in the Assembly complex that stopped power generation.
Trumpeta learnt that the motion and relevant moves for the loan waiver were underway before the power failure forcing the lawmakers to adjourn sitting till Tuesday for consideration of the proposed N1bn.
It was learnt that for the state government to reach this bargain with the lawmakers, knotty issues that caused friction between the legislative and executive arms of government were deliberated. Further revelation on what transpired indicated that Okorocha had to soften on the issue that related to sacked transition committee chairmen which the lawmakers decided before the Christmas break. Other matters the Okorocha government bought into in the new deal was the creation of new autonomous communities which it had through the secretary to the Imo State Government, Prof Anthony Anwukah, described earlier as a fraud.
The re-consideration of the new autonomous communities and sack of LGA TC chairmen by the executive arm resulted to the state legislature having a mention of how they will consider Okorocha’s new appointees.
Further to the rapprochement, a new loan of N10b was also considered for approval to the governor. It was in the spirit of these new arrangements that Hon Simeon Iwunze-led committee on new autonomous communties officially submitted its reports while the TC chairmen got fresh backing from the House. The last lap of the deal is the N10bn loan approval which was reportedly deferred because of the by power outage.
The money, sources disclosed was designed to enable Okorocha perfectly prosecute his second term bid as well as help fine-tune APC campaigns in the state. As pay back for job “well done”, the lawmakers are accused of getting their own fair share of deal by pocketing N5m each.
This newspaper reliably learnt that majority of the lawmakers, irrespective of party lining okayed the granting of loan which will fetch them millions. This final “sharing” of money is considered as parting gift for those who are not likely to return to the House. Those who were said to have accepted the N10b loan deal, hook, line and sinker are mainly lawmakers running for various categories of election who need money to cater for electioneering demands.
Our source learnt that some cash-crunch lawmakers quickly jumped at the deal and offered to be part of the process of allowing the state governor have N10m through loans.
Trumpeta learnt that a powerful and ranking lawmaker is said to be the anchorman of the state government in the deal. The involvement of the lawmaker who failed primaries to pick his party’s ticket for Reps seat, according to Assembly sources, was meant to ensure the proposal sails through without tackles from his camp believed to be power brokers in the State Assembly.
Efforts to reach the House Committee Chairman on Information, Hon Acho Ihim speak on the matter proved abortive as his phone was out of reach, but a lawmaker who said that he is not authorized to speak opined that Tuesday next week will determine the veracity or otherwise of the story.
