By Kelechi Mejuobi
Finally, the bubble burst on Friday, November 12, 2020 for Chiji Collins, who before now was the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly. Until his impeachment, Chiji had deployed available antics to escape manhunt against him launched by his colleagues.
Despite being accused to have made the Mace; the symbol of authority, of the state legislature, his personal property, to avoid the unknown after several shenanigans to hold on, the last push by two third majority of the lawmakers was an unavoidable hurricane he couldn’t escape the sweep off. And it came like a bang; the member representing Isiala Mbano finally lost out. No more double blaring siren convoy on the road for him. All appurtenances associated with the esteemed office and number three status in the state evaporated within seconds. He lost the fancied art of dragging spaces with government functionaries to be at vintage positions during governor’s functions.
Bystanders monitoring affairs of the Imo State House of Assembly can testify that Chiji, from Eziama, Isiala Mbano LGA of the State was lucky to have bestridden the affairs of the House thus far. Though, luck smiled on him if his trajectory in the political realm is considered.
Irrespective of the earlier mileages covered in the game of politics, he was unknown until 2015 when APC ticket for Isiala Mbano was in his kitty. Chiji didn’t get the chance during the first poll. The result had favoured Lady Joy Mbawuike of the PDP as the winner. Chiji instituted a court case at the tribunal and the end result by the Appeal Court Tribunal called for a rerun of the election.
Before, then, the victory of President Mohammadu Buhari enticed few politicians from PDP to join APC. Ifeanyi Araraume, a two time senator of Okigwe Zone and also aiming for another luck in the forthcoming senate bye- election of the party, was one of them. He had left the umbrella party to carry the broom symbol. Recall that Araraume ran the 2015 governorship primaries of the PDP. After losing to Emeka Ihedioha, he went to court to challenge the process. Finally he left the PDP when nothing came out of the quest against Ihedioha’s candidacy.
The Isiala Mbano State Assembly election which Chiji was a candidate offered Araraume the chance to once again prove his mettle as a grassroots politician with the Midas touch to conquer undoubtedly, through his efforts, Chiji emerged victorious and became a House member in the later part of 2015.
All through his first tenure in the Assembly, Chiji and Araraume were Siasme twins. They were bonded by common political interests and the former Speaker became an integral part of the famous Araraume’s Destiny Organization political dynasty.
During the Rescue Mission vs Coalition brouhaha that rocked Imo APC, between 2018-2019, Chiji stood strongly for the Araraume backed Coalition and suffered untold victimization in the hands of Rescue Mission group led government of Rochas Okorocha. The House of Assembly leadership of 2015-2019, controlled by Rescue Mission adherents made him and four other Coalition exponents pay for being on the other side of the divide. He was not only suspended for a greater part of his legislative assignment in that first tenure, but also got starved of needed fund to excel. In the process, Chiji didn’t hesitate to join Araraume to dump APC for APGA in the run up to the 2019 election. While Araraume was the governorship candidate of APGA, Chiji emerged the party’s House of Assembly candidate.
Their blitz went on until the 2019 election was conducted. Chiji was successful but Araraume didn’t. The outcome of the 2019 elections showcased the other side of the recently sacked number one lawmaker in Imo State.
In his quest to become the Speaker of the House based on ranking rules, Chiji was said to have turned his back at Araraume and jettisoned earlier partnership and affiliation that had won the fancy of their admirers. Imo Assembly favours ranking rule for principal positions. Chiji was among the three returning lawmakers of Okigwe zone entitled to produce the Speaker at the inception of the 9th House.
It was not only surprising that contrary to expectations, he dumped APGA to join PDP but also reportedly ignored the interest of his political buddy, Araraume, who as at that moment was in court battling against Ihedioha’s election victory. The PDP was the controlling party in the state then and he got the position of the Speaker, an action that was said to have irked Araraume’s camp who had been instrumental to his previous political successes. Despite the gains of becoming the numero uno of the House, it was more a harakiri for Chiji to have not reached an understanding and received the blessing of his political camp before the political somersault. On assumption of the Office of the Speaker, Chiji started a fresh romance with new bedfellows he pretended to be in love for the sake of the Speakers position. He capped the move with unholy skirmishes with the Araraume people, who attempted for his recall for dumping APGA.
For Chiji, it appeared the new found lovers in PDP were his political messiahs as against those who saw him out of the woods. But the Chiji you know was yet to show his real trade mark, as his new partner’s didn’t have enough background check of his antecedents.
Grapevine sources have it that when it was time for the Supreme Court to give judgment on the Imo State Governorship case on January 14, 2020, Chiji was in company of the immediate past governor, Ihedioha. As an avowed apostle of Ihedioha’s Rebuild Imo Project, they moved into Abuja together and hobnobbed until judgment was delivered. The decision of the judges that Uzodinma won once again exposed Chiji’s chicanery. He was said to have carefully disappeared from Ihedioha’s abode and quickly took the next flight to Owerri to commence fresh romance with the new governor. The rest is history, but don’t forget he again dumped PDP for APC and the next cap on his head was “Chiji4Hope” without recourse to the fact he was a Rebuild Imo crusader few hours ago.
Perhaps, the tactical weapon to entice his fresh political soulmates, employed by Chiji was another round of mouth diarrhea against the Ihedioha administration he was part of the policy formulation and execution. Nobody believed all manners of incentives Chiji poured on an administration he was the number three person from the outset. It was a dose of absurdity to hear him allege that refurbished cars were handed to the lawmakers during the Ihedioha era when as the number one House Member, it was his duty to protect and cater for colleagues welfare. His verbal gestures indicated he wasn’t incharge during that period and therefore do not have capacity to lead a 27-member house.
THE CERTIFICATE BROUHAHA
Underneath whatever Chiji was accused to have committed to warrant the exit bottom pressed against him, his greatest albatross is the certificate scandal saga. Few months after he assumed office as Speaker, a newspaper based in Owerri blew the lid to expose alleged oddities surrounding his past academic claims. Doubts were raised about his Doctorate Degree, NYSC exemption claims. Other newspapers joined the spree to highlight on the matter. What he did was to drag the affected tabloids to court claiming billions of naira as damages than clear the air on the matter, oblivious of the fact that as a public office holder, he owes the people answers over questionable credentials. Till date, the report of the committee set up in the House of Assembly on the certificate scandal is still shrouded in secrecy. A House of Assembly, its leadership is mirred in certificate scandal has moral burden to answer. The impeachment may have come to solve this problem.
MANAGEMENT OF HOUSE AFFAIRS
Chiji May occupy enormous space in the roll call of Speaker’s who may have not cared for the welfare of his colleagues. Under him, it was the first time stories of lawmakers not paid as at when due was heard. Just like the governor and deputy governor, house members are also elected and shouldn’t be treated as appointees. They are entitled to allowances as enshrined in the revenue and fiscal mobilization regulations. It is not negotiable. The members need not to beg or cry out before they are paid. It is sacrilegious for a Speaker to allow his members lament of non-payment before alerts touch their accounts. But under Chiji, reports of lawmakers lamenting such developments were abound. It won’t surprise anyone that such scenario may have sparked off the democratic coup against him.
Another angle the lawmakers expressed anger was on his style of management of the House finances. Chiji was accused to be a “Chop Alone” prodigy. He was said not have “carried” other members along in handling finances of the House. The issue of servicing the power generating set of the House easily comes up in this aspect. One of the lawmakers had in an interview session sometime this year accused the former speaker of the knack to “grab” everything, including the minute ones like buying diesel for the gen set. By House rules, the House Services Committee, a Standing Committee of the House is expected to undertake the function, but Chiji was said to be incharge. Under Chiji too, the Independence of the legislature was eroded by the executive. He was accused to have lacked the will power to exercise his right and do the needful. Members recall how Interim Management Committee of the LGAs Uzodinma appointed failed to get House imprint before inauguration, while the recent ISOPADEC case where the Board members were to be sworn in without House screening, but for last minute checks.
Chiji was also accused to have pocketed the impress of other principal officers of the House for many months. It was learnt that after the change of guard occasioned by the Supreme Court judgment which led to the resignation of the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Okey Olekamma of Mbaitoli and absence of other principal officers, arising from vacant positions, the Imo State House of Assembly received same monthly allocations but without the principal officers entitled to impress to run their offices. It is on record that it took many months before these offices were filled. Reports were rife that aside from utilizing his impress for Speakers office, where the impress of others went remains unknown. The lawmakers almost went for the ex-Speaker’s head before he softened to allow other principal officers come on board.
THE NEW TWIST THAT FINACY REMOVED HIM
Based on his antecedents that speak volume of his political turn-coat mentality, it was gathered that fears came up in the camp of the governor that he may be retracing steps to his former ally, Araraume, who has gotten APC ticket for Okigwe Zone through the court. Considering the intrigues that characterized his impeachment, it was obvious external forces also played a role in Chiji’s ouster. The coming of Araraume as APC candidate, the core pro Uzodinma members do not approve, coupled with the former Speaker’s penchant to dump allies for new found love fueled suspicion that he can’t be trusted in the new dispensation, hence the impeachment.
