OKEY CHRIS reports that tension still engulfs the Anambra political firmament, aftermath of the hostilities in the conspiracies to impeach the Speaker of Anambra House of Assembly, Hon. Rita Maduagwu for the fourth time
Last Thursday, the Anambra State House of Assembly complex was cordoned off following the plots to impeach the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu, for the fourth time. The lawmakers had perfected their machinations to impeach her, following alleged grievances against her, which range from her refusal to share with them some of the largesse that had accrued to her office from the governor, and also blocking their moves to get theirs.
It was reliably gathered that shortly before the commencement of the executive session, the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, paid a surprise visit to the assembly without his retinue of aides and went for a closed door meeting with most of the legislators.
A source close to the assembly said that the reason for the governor’s visit to the assembly was obviously to prevail on the members not to impeach the speaker.
The source further said “The speaker, having received information of the plan to impeach her at plenary, refused to join her colleagues for the session after the bell signifying the commencement of plenary was rung.” In her bid to frustrate her impeachment plots, the speaker escaped with the mace in order to escape fourth impeachment plot against her by almost thirty members of the House.
Efforts made by members of the assembly to bring the speaker to the chambers for the plenary were unsuccessful as they noticed she had left the complex with the mace.
But bent on impeaching her, the lawmakers had produced an improvised mace with the hope of carrying out the task, but were stopped by some pro-speaker lawmakers, led by Hon Obinna Emenaka, who seized the mace and insisted on an adjournment.
The chairman House Committee on Information, Kingsley Iruba, said that, “the House had its normal sitting, except for the absence of the speaker and his deputy as well as the clerk and deputy clerk of the House”.
Blueprint who visited the place on Friday, reports that not less than four security vans belonging to Nigerian Police and State Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) Operation Pkochapu were used to block entrance to the building.
Also, there was a large number of armed carrying security men from Police, Civil Defense and Ocha Brigade found on the scene unlike it used to be in normal legislative days.
It would be recalled that on Thursday April 6, 2017, the lawmakers were in disarray as tension enveloped the complex and its environs.
The impeachment saga which begun with 27 members allegedly appending their signatories with an exception of the Speaker, the House Majority Leader, Victor Jideofor Okoye and Hon Pharm. Obinna Emenaka of Anambra West and Anambra West constituencies.
28 members of the house out of 30 had assembled at the hallowed chamber for the business of the day but the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, probably acting on information he got from the Speaker, stormed the complex with his entourage including the APGA National Chairman, Victor Oye.
At the end of their closed door meeting with the governor which lasted for almost two hours, they reconvened, and at the process, an alert bell signaling time to begin legislative business, ranged three times as usual but the Speaker was not in sight.
As the tension continues, the members in the hallow kept murmuring, urging the Majority leader to speak out, who incidentally told them to be patient as the Speaker was on her way coming.
As the tension continues, Speaker Maduagwu climbed down from her office, boarded her vehicle alone and absconded with the mace to Governor’s Lodge at Amawbia, before been joined by her aides and security men later.
Apparently, aware of what had transpired, the House sought for old mace and it was clothed and subsequently brought into the hallow chamber.
Moving a motion for Speaker Tempore due to absence of Speaker Maduagwu, and Harford Oseke, her Deputy, the Majority Leader of the House, Victor Jideofor Okoye was opposed by Hon Obinna Emenaka, who rushed and carried the Mace, threatening the Minority Leader, Hon Onyebuchi Offor (PDP-Ekwusigo constituency) not to support the motion.
Immediately, the House Chief Whip, Lawrence Chukwunweike Ezeudu (Dunukofia constituency) called Emenaka to order, but he refused, hitting the mace on the ground to break in futility, and shouting “Is this our mace! How can this be our mace?…”
At the process, the Clerk of House, Pius Udoh and his two assistants (Acting Deputy clerks) sneaked out and ran out of the complex, prompting the Majority Leader, Hon Victor Okoye to call for the adjournment of the house to Tuesday, April 11 2017.
There was feeler that the legislators wanted to replace Speaker Maduagwu with either of the members representing Orumba North or Aguata II state Constituencies, Romanus Obi and Ikem Uzoezie whenever they perfected their impeachment plot.
Among the Speaker’s alleged sins are alleged incompetency and sabotaging of the House with the Executive as they were yet to commence works in their various constituencies.
Also, they accused her of altering the Transition committee members’ lists with executive, which was recently approved.
In the meantime, the drama in Anambra assembly is unfolding as speaker who flee with mace is not seen yet.
