Former speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Acho Ihim is said to be full of regrets over his fate lately.
The political fortune of Ihim nosedived recently after he not only failed to emerge the Deputy Governor in the last election but also was forced to resign as his colleagues have instituted a motion to strip him of all entitlements as a former speaker.
Sources close to the former speaker disclosed that what is left for Ihim now is to come to the public to express displeasure over how his romance with the former governor reduced his person and profile in the eyes of the public and Imolites in particular.
Trumpeta learnt that the school proprietor turned politician is swimming in anguish inflicted on him because of his rosy affair with Okorocha during the life of past administration.
Apart from asking him to quit from the exalted office of the speaker, Ihim has become an endangered species among his colleagues who handed him a ban from the complex and are about to rubbish whatever history he has made as a Speaker.
An ally of the speaker disclosed that Ihim is in tears as he laments that Okorocha didn’t come to his rescue when the tide changed against his favour. It was learnt that the fair skinned politician complained to whoever cared to listen that during his trial times with other members of the House, the former governor turned his back at him by allowing him to face the wrath of the lawmakers.
The top aide revealed to this newspaper that Ihim reportedly lamented that Okorocha did not protect him. Instead he okayed the plot to remove him by advising him to resign.
Further information also has it that despite their close relationship, Ihim didn’t receive his full salary and yet to get severance allowance and other monies he was entitled to unlike some allies of the governor.
“Ihim is in tears and lamenting what he fell into because of Okorocha. Despite being punished by his colleagues who felt he didn’t do well because of association with the former governor, are you aware the Ihim didn’t get his full salaries, severance allowances and other monies entitled to? the source offered.
One of the regrets of Ihim against the way Okorocha treated him was on issue of official vehicles and appointment of aides. “Do you know when Ihim asked for vehicles he was not given and even the number of aides he was entitled to was drastically reduced? Do you know what others had before Ihim. But during his time such wasn’t granted.
It was further learnt that despite using his personal finances to donate hand somely to projects of the wife of the governor, he got no favours in return except the dismal AA Deputy Governorship slot.
The worst regret that made Ihim to cry is that unlike his predecessors who left the Speaker’s Lodge to their private houses, the former number one lawmaker moved from the Speaker Lodge to a rented apartment last week after he resigned.
Ihim’s house project nearing completion was on the controversial Shell Camp land that belong to retirees of ALVAN who went to court to recover the property as they were ordered to take over what was left in the place.
