Money Exchanges Hands As Speaker Ihim Escapes Impeachment
It is no longer news that members of the Imo State House of Assembly initiated a process leading to the impeachment of the speaker, Rt Hon Acho Ihim, the latest is that the rampaging lawmakers may have succumbed to the power of money as cash running into millions is said to have changed hands to give the speaker soft landing. The plot to remove Ihim by the members was based on some weighty accusations of parliamentary highhandedness; total emasculating of the powers of oversight of the House, giving rise to devt of capital projects in the state without needed appropriation by 8th Assembly and enforcing an Executive order to the lawmakers to support approval of the whooping sum of N100 billion in favor of the governor, among other accusations.
Trumpeta, investigation indicate that Speaker Ihim may escaped impeachment having declined the instruction of the governor to resign after attending nocturnal meetings some days ago alongside some aggrieved lawmakers. Ihim was alleged to have heavily greased the palm of the lawmakers to discontinue from the impeachment trip.
On Thursday, May 16,Trumpeta was in the complex to see Chinedu Offor, pro tem Speaker, preside at the plenary. Instead of witnessing such a session, series of meetings and consultations went on from one office of a lawmaker to another which lasted for hours. Chris Duru, the Assembly Clerk, was spotted moving from one office to another.
Though Speaker Ihim was absent, his senior aides were also seen tiptoeing at the corridor of the lawmakers offices and feeding their principal with perceived news. Eagle eyed workers observed that a senior aide to Ihim moved to one of the offices with a parcel that looked like an envelope containing foreign currency to considering the size.
The entire building was in darkness despite the presence of the workers. The workers were seen discussing in low tones if there would be plenary session with Offor presiding as the pro tem speaker.Trumpeta gathered that most of the workers were in cold celebration on the development as they had on several forum expressed displeasure on poor welfare Ihim offered them despite earning over N25 million on monthly basis.
Shortly after the arrival of the parcel perceived to foreign currency, Offor alongside other lawmakers put on surprised smiles on their faces before they managed to address Journalists. According to him, they are waiting for the Speaker to do the needful by submitting his letter of resignation than waiting to be impeached. He said that Ozuruigbo’s resignation and removal of Lugard Osuji, member representing Owerri Municipal State Constituency as the majority leader were no longer news. That they decided to suspend Friday, May 17 meeting so as to honor the visit of Prof Yemi Osibanjo, Nigeria Vice President, to the state but would continue by next week Monday with hope that things have taken better shape. Curiously, some of the 21 lawmakers that signed for the impeachment of Rt. Hon. Ihim were conspicuously absent thereby sending signal that it may have rocked the boat.
