After a botched first attempt, the Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha is billed to present the 2018 Budget to the House of Assembly today.
The coming of the governor is against the backdrop of uneasy calm pervading the State legislature in recent time with three principal officers resigning their positions even as 10 out of the 27 lawmakers may be the ones to receive Okorocha.
Trouble started two weeks ago when members surprisingly shunned the Assembly complex when Okorocha was billed to present the budget. Few days later, Majority of the lawmakers struck when 21 out of the 27 members endorsed their signature to suspend the clerk, Chris Duru.
The next was the mass boycott of plenary session leading to the resignation of the principal officers followed by the suspension handed over to the Majority leader, Lugard Osuji.
In a swift move to possibly have his pound of flesh back, Okorocha has been meeting with the ten loyal lawmakers who have resolved to allow him present the budget.
Trumpeta learnt that in a meeting that lasted for several hours before the members agreed for today’s Budget presentation, in agreement was reached between the governor and the “loyal” lawmakers where they went home smiling because of the goodies merited from the outing.
Apart from having an assurance that the grievances of the House will be looked into, the governor agreed to back their future political ambitions either to return to the House or seek for higher positions in APC.
Sources also revealed that the loyal lawmakers are likely going to have their constituency project fund handled as part of the pay back conditions.
The governor is said to have imported “ devide and rule tactics” to arms twist the lawmakers into agreeing to his bargain of the deal and budget presentation Trumpeta investigation further revealed that between the Governor insistence that the suspended clerk of the House of Assembly should be reinstated without delay is to stop the rumoured impeachment
To perfect the divide and rule tactics among the legislators, impeccable report has it that Speaker Acho Ihim on the orders of the Governor will immediately after the budget presentation swear-in new principal officers of the house with the man from Ikeduru and Onuimo, Uche Oguwuike and Chinedu Offor as Majority and Deputy Majority Leaders respectively.
An action which will cause the legislature to adjourn till 2018. However, the dissident group has intensified efforts to abort the plan especially the budget presentation by reducing the Governors support base from nine as he may not be able to present the State budget to an empty legislature.
