As the race for who becomes the speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly gathers momentum , the Governor-Elect of the state , Rt Hon Chukwuemeka Nkem Ihedioha is at crossroads over who to endorse and support to emerge the number one lawmaker in the state .
Going by the political arrangement in Imo state where top political offices are shared based on the three zones, the next speaker of the Imo state House of Assembly shall emerge from Okigwe zone If the principle of equity is considered.
Ihedioha and his Deputy , Engr Gerald Alphonsus Ironna are from Owerri and Orlu zone respectively, thereby creating opening for Okigwe zone to produce the speaker.
The Governor-Elect is said to be experiencing difficulties making the choice for the Speaker as It was discovered that his PDP party could not produce a House of Assembly winner from Okigwe zone entitled to the position.
Apparently unsure of who to trust among the winners, the governor in waiting, Trumpeta learnt has started making consultations for the way forward. The newspaper gathered that what further weakened Ihedioha on the search is the re-election of three ranking members from the zone who are of different parties but with strong linkages to some political godfathers in the state.
Bearing in mind the ranking law caveat enshrined in the House Rules of Imo state House of Assembly which promotes the resting of special principal positions in the hands of the returnee lawmakers, three House members , Chiji Collins , Lawman Duruji and Kennedy Ibeh are favoured to grab the position.
Trumpeta recalls that the ranking status had been engraved in the House Rules before 2011, it was shattered by the members to pave room for Rt Hon Ben Uwajumogu and Conatus Ozoemena emerge speaker and Deputy speaker respectively against other ranking lawmakers of that era. To achieve the feat , Uwajumogu who was elected under PDP during that era defected to APGA to give the party majority status and be elected as Speaker after the ranking status was shot down via motion. That kept off the Simon Iwunze then of the PDP who was favoured to emerge speaker as ranking member.
But in 2015, Uwajumogu led House reversed itself to return ranking status a process in choosing principal officers. The incumbent Speaker, Rt Hon Acho Ihim and his Deputy Ugonna Ozuruigbo benefitted from the process.
Sources close to Ihedioha revealed that the governor-elect is now confused on what to do since his party has no candidate from the zone who emerged member for the coming dispensation. “Ihedioha is confused and we members of his group sympathise with him on this issue. The governor elect is undecided on who to trust and back for the position and you know PDP has no candidate from Okigwe zone and it will be unfair to have the three principal positions without any of them from Okigwe”
Trumpeta further learnt that political leaders and traditional rulers from the zone have made a reach out to Ihedioha on the matter but no firm response yet as confusion is yet to leave the governor elect.
Even as it is reported that the three top front runners based on ranking are willing to decamp to PDP to grab the plum position, Ihedioha is said not to be disposed to having any of them become the speaker because of their lining and loyalty to suspected political godfathers in the state.
While Collins Chiji of Isiala Mbano is believed to have have strong ties with his kinsman, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Ibe and Duruji are believed to be offshoot of the outgoing Okorocha administration and diehard apologists of the AA governorship candidate, Uche Nwosu as members elected under the party’s platform.
Ihedioha is said to be uncomfortable with the relationship these returnee lawmakers have with some identifies forcing him to search elsewhere among the Okigwe zone candidates as a better option.
