Except the speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly Rt Hon Chiji Collins reads the body language of his colleagues, and ask for the election of Deputy Speaker and other principal officers of the House, he may be on collision course with other members.
Already, uneasy calm is said to have enveloped the assembly complex as the members, especially those of Orlu zone are aggrieved over the indifference attitude of the Speaker to the issue of Deputy Speaker and other principal officers of the House.
Imo Assembly has been running affairs of the House with the Speaker as the only principal office holder since the political equation in the state tumbled after the Supreme Court judgment. Moments after Senator Hope Uzodinma was declared winner to displace Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha as governor, Rt Hon Okey Olekanma who had prior to the Jan 14, 2020 judgment was the Deputy Speaker tendered resignation.
Two months after resignations of Olekamma, no Deputy Speaker and other principal positions have been gotten.
Trumpeta learnt that majority of the lawmakers are aggrieved and concluded arrangements to move against the Speaker. Their grouse is that the Isiala Mbano born lawmaker is yet to order for the election or processes leading for the emergeance of a Deputy Speaker and other principal officers of the House.
It was further learnt that the lawmakers are further aggrieved that all imprest and funds due to the Deputy Speakers office as well as that of other principal officers are allegedly controlled by the Speaker who discharges funds.
Sources in the Assembly revealed that the worried lawmakers have been meeting in groups to lament about the development as reports state that they are meeting to fine-tune ways of dealing with the speaker on the matter.
The aggrieved lawmakers insist the positions are constitutional and part of House rules the Speaker shouldn’t stop. What however sparked off further agitations against the Speaker’s attitude was the failure of the House to held plenary session yesterday.
After all the lawmakers had appeared for plenary, Chiji Collins was nowhere to be sited for business of the House.
