Evolving in Imo State House of Assembly has now taken another dimension with the Speaker, Rt Hon Collins Chiji, under pressure to step aside his position for a new leadership to emerge.
Aftermath of the defection of 18 House members from PDP and different parties to APC, the Speaker is said to have lost control of the House. Information has it that the lawmakers no longer have confidence in his leadership qualities, coupled with certificate scandal that rocked the House in the past.
Trumpeta learnt that despite party affiliations, majority of the lawmaker, were not comfortable with the manner Chiji Collins handled affairs of the House citing the manner their official cars were handled.
The certificate scandal which put the integrity of the lawmakers in jeopardy was cited. Despite denials and prove that nothing. It would be recalled an Owerri based newspaper had alleged in a publication that Chiji was involved in certificate scandal.
Another reason for his stepping aside is that the new governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma is said to have considered it necessary to make a change due to loyalty. Chiji is being asked to honorably resign for a new Speaker to emerge following his loyalty to Ihedioha before the new change of guard Feelers in Uzodinma’s camp are of the view that since he was of the PDP before now and worked closely with Ihedioha, it would be risky to entrust him with the leadership of the House, a sensitive arm of government.
A lawmaker who wanted anomity revealed that Chiji’s loyalty to Uzodinma is skeptical after his earlier romance with Ihedioha, hence the pressure in him to step aside for a new Speaker to emerge “The Speaker is under watch, don’t mind the defection game plan. The fact is that he can’t be trusted because he was Ihedioha’s ally”.
More prominent in the push to have Chiji Collins out of the way is Okigwe zone senate the death of Ben Uwajumogu left open.
Politicians of APC extraction interested in the contest who are from Okigwe North LGA want him out to pave way for their ambition.
The Okigwe North LGAs are seriously angling for senate seat in place of the Speakership position. Chiji is from Isiala Mbano in Okigwe North, same are with the House of Reps winner Mirian Onuoha of the APC.
Meanwhile, the race for the Deputy Speaker position has commenced. Following the resignation of Okey Onyekanma of Mbaitoli who last week call it quits, all Orlu zone lawmakers excluding the Oguta man moved into APC.
It was learnt that all Orlu zone lawmakers except those of Oru East, Oru West, Orsu and Orlu are in for the race.
Meanwhile, reacting over the development, PDP in a statement titled “Imo Assembly: Defectors Have Lost Their Seats”, the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Olagboniyan said
“The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received reports that some members of the Imo state House of Assembly elected on the platform of our great party, have decided to abdicate the mandate they hold on the pedestal of our party, to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), ostensibly for their very selfish gains.
“The PDP describes such action as unpatriotic and an unpardonable betrayal of the people of their respective constituencies who chose and identified with the ideal and visions of the PDP as the platform for their representation at the state assembly.
“The defectors have indeed shown absolute lack of character, failure of leadership capacity in moments of challenges and absence of faith to stand with the people in their most trying moment, but are easily bought by personal pecuniary and political interests.
“The PDP holds that these defectors are fully aware of the grave implication of their actions to the effect that by their defection to the APC, they have automatically lost their seats and membership of the Imo state House of Assembly as they can only hold such position on the mandate of the party on which they were elected; the PDP.
“It is settled under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), that a legislator who decamps from a party upon which he was elected a member of a legislative house automatically losses his or her membership of that house as the seat belongs to the political party upon which platform the election was won and not the individual.
“The vacation of seat, as a direct consequence of decamping to another political party other than the party upon which one was elected to occupy a seat in the legislature, is clear and unambiguous under section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“For the avoidance of doubt, section 109 (1)(g) provides that “a member of the House of Assembly SHALL VACATE his seat in the House if …(g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected:
“The Constitution went further to state “provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”
“Consequent upon the above constitutional provisions, these defectors have vacated their seats, they no longer have a place in the state assembly, as there is no division or merger of any kind in the PDP at any level whatsoever.
“The PDP is therefore left with no other option than to request the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence the processes for the conduct of fresh elections into the respective state constituencies where the legislators have vacated their seats, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
“The PDP calls on our teeming members and supporters in Imo state to remain calm and focused at this trying time as the national leadership proceeds with arrangements ahead of fresh elections in the affected constituencies.
“Moreover, the national leadership assures the people of Imo state that processes are already on towards achieving a judicial review and reversal of the defective judgment of the Supreme Court, on the Imo state governorship election”
Also knocked out is Obinna Okwara who hails from Nkwerre , the same are with Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie, Uzodinma’s Chief of Staff. For now the Isu, Njaba, Nwangele, Ohaji/Egbema, Ideato North and South are tipped to be favoured for the Deputy Speakership.
Meanwhile people of Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area have planned mass protest against the defection of Eddy Obinna. Aggrieved leaders of the area who now see Hon Eddy Obinna as an ungrateful person are canvassing for his recall from the state House of Assembly.
