Story behind four Imo Assembly lawmakers’ suspension

The Imo State House of Assembly has with immediate effect suspended indefinitely four legislators over alleged plot to instigate the impeachment of the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Chike Olemgbe.

The members were: Rt. Hon Samuel Chidiebere Ogbunikpa, Representative of Okigwe State Constituency, Rt. Hon Dominic Ezerioha, Representing Oru-west State Constituency, Rt. Hon Samuel Nkem Otuibe, Representative of Ahiazu Mbaise State Constituency, and Hon Henry Agabasonu, Representing Ezinihitte Mbaise State Constituency.

Announcing the suspension on Tuesday, during the House plenary, the Speaker disclosed that the members resolved to suspend the affected lawmakers for “bringing disrepute and ridicule to the House through their actions at diverse fora and inciting other lawmakers against the leadership of the House as well as hatching an impeachment plot against the Speaker”.

National Beam gathered from a reliable source that the plot was uncovered at a Training Workshop, which all the Members attended in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, last week.

According to the source,”On the very first day of the course, the Institute of Advanced Legal and Democratic Studies which was the venue for the workshop was reduced to a battlefield as legislators who were opposed to the Speaker and the Leadership of the House could no longer restrain themselves. They left what the course they were attending and resorted to openly casting aspersions on the Speaker.

“Tempers and voices rose as those legislators in support of the Speaker could no longer take it and decided to challenge those insulting the Speaker. A shouting match ensued. The commotion caused a huge disturbance in the Institute and attracted Senior Members of Staff of the Institute who came in to mediate and calm the battling Members”.

One of the Staff of the training institute the source averred that he said they have held several of such courses for legislators from various parts of the country over the years, but that they had never witnessed the sort of drama where members would publicly denigrate their Speaker and House Leadership and so were shocked by the action of Imo state House of Assembly Members.

The source continued, “Indeed, it was a show of shame. Obviously, the fight the impeachment plotters instigated in Abuja was part of a larger plot and did not just happen for nothing. There had been clandestine plots to cause havoc in the House

“The very next day after the incident at the Institute, two Owerri based Newspapers carried identical reports about a plot to impeach the Speaker.

“That is why members of the Imo State House of Assembly voted to suspend, indefinitely, those who have been identified as the prime movers of the plot to impeach the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly,’ the source disclosed”.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Mr. Chike Olemgbe has announced a major reshuffle on the Chairmen of various standing committees of the House.

According to him, Mr. Gilbert Nwosu is now the Chairman, House committee on Health which was formerly chaired by Mr. Samuel Otuibe, Dr. Obinna Egu is the new Chairman, Committee on Education formerly chaired by Dr. Henry Agbasonu, Dr. Ikenna Ihezuo assumed the position of Chairman, Committee on Judiciary and Information formerly held by Chief Domnic Ezerioha, Chief Johnson Duru becomes the new Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology.

The rest are, Chief Kanayo Onyemaechi – Chairman, Committee on Lands, Ethics, Privileges and House Service, Chief Bernard Ozoemena – Chairman, Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, Gender, food security and nutrition, Chief Clinton Amadi – Chairman, Digital Economy and E – Government, Entrepreneurship and Sills Acquisition, Mr. Princewill Amuchie – Chairman, Committee on Water Resources, Mr. Kelechi Ofurum – Chairman, Power, Rural Electrification, Mines and Solid Minerals.

The Speaker, Mr. Olemgbe further announced Mr. Kelechi Ofurum as the new Deputy Chief Whip of the House which was formerly held by Dr. Henry Agbasonu, while Chief Samuel Ogbunikpa was also removed as the Deputy Majority Leader.