By Onyekachi Eze
But for divine intervention, a member of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon Uju Onwudiwe would have either be in the mortuary or receiving treatment in a health facility by now following an attack targeted at her by a colleague during a meeting.
Trumpeta learnt that it was a show of shame as members exhibited dishonorable acts by engaging in near fight using dangerous weapons like bottle and cup of glass.
While it is believed that public display like fighting can be linked to only thugs and street boys, the lawmakers of the Imo Assembly appear to have joined the rumble.
It was gathered that the representative of Ahiazu Mbaise, Samuel Otuibe had challenges with the member for Njaba, Uju Onwudiwe.
It was further gathered that for the presence of their colleagues who intervened, blood bath that would have resulted to casualties would have followed.
Trumpeta gathered that trouble ensued when the lawmakers were charting way forward for their welfare in the residence of the Deputy Speaker on Monday, Rt Hon Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu.
In the process, the issue of the Speaker was raised, and while Hon Ngozi Obiefule for Isu was still addressing the floor, Otuibe was accused to have used harsh words to hush her down.
It was said that Onwudiwe who couldn’t withstand the unfair tackle from the male colleague asked Otuibe to allow the Isu female lawmaker have her say. Otuibe, apparently irked by Uju’s interjection was accused to have allegedly picked a bottle beside him and flung at Onwudiwe’s direction for challenging him.
Eye witnesses account disclosed that Uju missed the missile by whiskers as luck was on her side when the flying bottle was waged by others nearby from getting at the lawmaker popularly known as Igolo Njaba.
As if that was not enough, it was learnt that the Ahiazu Mbaise member again allegedly picked a wine glass on the table to try similar attack. This time, Trumpeta gathered that the action injured two of the legislators who stopped the weapon hitting Hon Uju Onwudiwe direct.
Reacting, Hon. Uju Onwudiwe expressed shock over the incident, and described what just happened as an attempt to kill and nothing but a deliberate act to commit murder.
Confirming the incident, Onwudiwe stated that, at first, when the bottle was flung towards her, she saw it before two members; Heclus Okoro and Freedoline Nnodumele blocked it before it gets to her. He accused (Otuibe) of repeating the act by throwing glass cup which didn’t only tore the window blind in the building, but also gave Hon Nnodumele and Heclus Okoro deep cuts.
When asked if they had an unsettled issue before, she responded in the negative, stressing that they had neither been friends nor had anything in common before,
if not that they met themselves as lawmakers of the 9th Assembly.
In her voice, “I haven’t done anything wrong to him before. We have never been friends before and has either talked or have annoyed him. His actions were purely deliberate, like one playing someone else’s script”.
Onwudiwe added, “I totally condemn any form of violence which was the reason why I chiefly sponsored a bill against violence that is on the committee stage now. He over reacted unnecessarily, and if no stringent punishment is done now, it might repeat again”.
When contacted on telephone, the accused, Hon Sam Otuibe denied having knowledge of the incident. He claimed it as a rumour.
Although he replied in the affirmative that he was part of the meeting at the Deputy Speaker’s lodge, he said if actually the two lawmakers said to have sustained injuries from the said glass cup was true, they would have been in the hospital by now.
Otuibe therefore warned against rumour mongers, adding that in the case of 22 lawmakers signing the impeachment process of the Speaker, it never happened, but was hyped by rumour.
