- New Imo Assembly Speaker suspends predecessor in a game of musical chairs
By Emma Ogbuehi
The last may not have been heard in the ongoing game of thrones at the Imo State House of Assembly, where impeachment of principal officers has become a free-for-all.
On Monday, the newly elected Speaker, Kennedy Ibeh, suspended his predecessor, Paul Emeziem, and two other House members.
The other suspended members are Okey Onyekanma and Ekene Nnodim.
Emeziem was impeached today by 19 out of 27 members of the Assembly in a counter impeachment during the plenary following allegations of gross misconduct and abuse of office.
Ibeh, sources told TheNiche, suspended the trio for allegedly forging signatures of Assembly members in the earlier impeachment of Deputy Speaker, Amara Iwuanyanwu, last Tuesday.
Iwuanyanwu was removed on November 2 through a resolution signed by 18 out of the 27 lawmakers of the Assembly, which was presented before the plenary.
Member for Orsu State Constituency, Hon. Ekene Nnodim, submitted the resolution.
Receiving the resolution, the now impeached Speaker, Paul Emeziem, said, “Since this resolution was signed by 18 members, out of the 27, the resolution stands.”
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Iwuanyanwu stormed the Chambers today with six lawmakers and some security personnel and orchestrated the Speaker’s impeachment.
Also in July, Emeziem pronounced an indefinite suspension of six lawmakers, accusing them of engaging in ‘unparliamentary conduct’.
The affected lawmakers are, Kennedy Ibe (Obowo), Uche Ogbuagu (Ikeduru), Anyadike Nwosu (Ezinihitte Mbaise), Onyemaechi Njoku (Ihitte Uboma), Philip Ejiogu, (Owerri North) and Dominic Ezerioha (Oru West)
The suspension had resulted in pandemonium at the plenary as gunshots rent the air before the Speaker was shielded out of the Assembly complex.
Incidentally, the Assembly announced the recall of the suspended members last Tuesday when the Deputy Speaker was impeached.
Emeziem said the legislators had repented, hence the decision to lift the suspension.
Imo State Assembly has been rocked by crisis since Senator Hope Uzodimma became governor in January 2020 after the Supreme Court declared him winner of the 1999 poll in a ruling that remains controversial.
Justice Centus Nweze had said in March 2020 that the decision of Nigeria’s Supreme Court on the Imo governorship election was wrong and “will continue to haunt our (Nigeria’s) electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.”
Emeziem’s impeachment will be the second time a Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly will be impeached since Uzodimma became governor 21 months ago.
On November 13, 2020, the then Speaker, Chiji Collins, was impeached.
Collins was removed from office by the lawmakers during a plenary at the legislative chamber of the Assembly complex in Owerri, the state capital.
When the motion for the former Speaker’s impeachment was move, it was supported by 19 out of the 27 members of the House.
Collins was impeached over allegations of financial impropriety, high handedness and gross misconduct, among others.
Following his impeachment, the lawmakers elected Paul Emeziem from Onuimo Local Government Area as the new Speaker of the House.