By Okey Alozie
Imo State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon Acho Ihim has incurred the wrath of his colleagues who are said to be up in arms against him for alleged unilateral decision to remove the Majority Leader, Hon Uche Oguwuike of Ikeduru State Constituency and replacing him with the Owerri Municipal lawmaker, Hon Lugard Osuji.
Ihim last Thursday caused an uproar in the State when he removed Oguwuike and made Osuji, the majority leader, against the wish of the majority APC members who kicked against it, even as the members are now divided over the matter.
Trumpeta gathered that following the action of Ihim which did not go down well with his colleagues, opposing forces have mobilized and marked him for impeachment for ignoring their contributions.
It would be recalled that moments Ihim announced the removal of Oguwuike, other lawmakers voiced out to condemn the act and threatened to resist his plan.
The trouble started when Speaker Acho Ihim after motion for adjournment was passed at the plenary session, announced the removal of Oguwuike and the coming in of Lugard Osuji. Aggrieved members of the House interrupted the Speaker for personally bringing in Lugard Osuji to take the position he resign for months ago.
Over 12 members of the House who raised eye brows on the action of the Speaker last weekend gathered in Owerri and resolved to continue the fight against imposition of Lugard Osuji as majority leader of the eight (8) House of Assembly. The newspaper learnt that should Ihim refuse to abide with their desire, his impeachment will follow immediately.
They stated that there was no executive session or any other meeting whatsoever as claimed by Mr Speaker to remove the Majority Leader without their notice, adding that the action of Mr Speaker is illegal, total disrespect to the members and one done in direct breach of the rules of the House of Assembly of Imo State. the lawmakers therefore rejected the removal and insist that such action of Mr Speaker is a display of rascality, recklessness and a calculated attempt to cause more troubles in the House of Assembly by bringing in Hon Osuji of Owerri Municipal Council who according to them, resigned his position as the majority leader whose resignation, was accepted on the floor of the House.
The House for now has been divided with those against Ihim on one side and those having sympathy for him on the other camp. On Sunday when they converged somewhere in Owerri to discuss about the way forward over the APC congress, it was discovered that the members cannot agree.
It was learnt that Hon Uche Agabiga would have been lynched by two female lawmakers against the Speaker because the Orsu was in support of Ihim for removing Oguwuike.
Trumpeta findings disclosed that already, a group led by the member for Ehime Mbano, Hon Lawman Duruji are having meetings to kick against the removal of Oguwuike which may culminate to the impeachment of the Speaker. It was noted that apart from Duruji, Honourable Obinna Egu, Ifeanyi Nnataraonye, Dr (Mrs) Uche Ejiogu, Arthur Egwim and Mrs Ngozi Obiefule are part of the group.
Others are Mrs Uju Onwudire, Chika Madumere, Chinedu Offor and Victor Onyewuchi. Suspicion is rife that a push against Ihim may give rise to impeachment if the few PDP members are lured into the plot.
The beginning of the trouble for Ihim was during a meeting of APC members loyal to Okorocha when Reps members; Honourables Chike Okafor and Nnanna Raphael Igbokwe saved the day at a meeting Ihim introduced Osuji as Majority Leader.
Trumpeta was informed that an ambush has been laid for Ihim at the House but the Okigwe zone lawmaker is said not to be disposed to going ahead for plenary this week.
