ENUGU, Federal Republic of Nigeria. THE face-off between Governor Sullivan Chime and members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, on Monday, took a new dimension, as a faction of the lawmakers, led by the speaker, Eugene Odo, announced the commencement of impeachment process against the governor.
Odo, speaking at the plenary, said the assembly had commenced the process of impeaching Governor Chime, for allegedly distorting the appropriation bill and forging the N12 billion 2012 supplementary budget.
The impeachment notice was signed by 14 members of the assembly, including the speaker.
The clerk, Christopher Chukwurah, was directed to serve the notice on the governor immediately.
The deputy speaker, Chime Oji, who was recently elected to represent Enugu North/South federal constituency; Honourable Emeka Ogbuabor and the deputy leader of the assembly, John Kevin Ukwuta, were also suspended for alleged anti-House activities
It was gathered that the speaker and his colleagues gathered at the legislative chamber at about 6.28 a.m., even as the police tried to stop them from gaining entry into the assembly complex.
The lawmakers had complained that the governor was inciting some members to disrupt the activities of the assembly, for refusing to approve the N11 billion he requested.
The mace was taken away after the sitting of the assembly
There was, however, a melodrama around 7.05 a.m., as the suspended deputy speaker and six other members of the assembly, including the deputy governor-elect, Cicilia Ezeilo walked into the chamber with another mace and conducted another sitting.
After a short prayer, Honourable John Kevin Ukwuta, who was also suspended by the Odo-led group, moved a motion that Honourable Johnbull Nwagu, who was suspended by the assembly, should be recalled, while Honourable Chinedu Nwamba seconded the motion.
The pro-Chime group of lawmakers consequently lifted the suspension slammed on Nwagu for misconduct and invited him to join them, bringing their number to nine.
Ukwuta, thereafter, moved another motion calling for the suspension of the speaker, Odo and six other members in his group.
The affected were Anichukwu Nwankwo, Okechukwu Nwoke, Paul Ogbe, Nze Michael Onyeze, Chika Eneh and S.K.E. Udo-Okoye.
The motion was approved by the nine members.
The principal officers among the suspended were also stripped of their positions and benefits.
Ukwuta further moved for the nomination of other colleagues to fill the vacancies created by the suspension and nominated Chinedu Nwamba, representing Nsukka East constituency to be sworn in as speaker of the assembly.
The motion was approved and Chinedu Nwamba was sworn in as speaker.
The sitting of the group was adjourned sine die, while the Odo-led faction had earlier adjourned its sitting till today.
Reacting, the state government said it was unaware of the impeachment process instituted against Governor Chime by a 15-man faction of the state assembly.
Chukwudi Achife, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from Enugu, on Monday.
Achife described the action of the faction of the assembly, led by Eugene Odo, the speaker, as “null and void.”
He said the state government was still trying to come to terms with the realities of a change in the leadership of the assembly.
“What we should be talking about is the new leadership of the house of assembly and not what the old one did,” he said.
“The process is perpetrated by those leaving the government on May 29 and that is why they are furious. No impeachment notice has been served on the governor; we must get that straight.”
Meanwhile, the security at the state assembly complex has been beefed up, with armed policemen and other security operatives keeping vigil at the complex.
It will be recalled that the state assembly, last year, impeached Sunday Onyebuchi as deputy governor of the state, for rearing chickens at the Government House.
Reacting to the emergence of factional speaker of the assembly, Odo said he was still in charge, while he described his purported impeachment as legislative recklessness and impunity.
He noted that the action of the Nwamba-led group was illegal, unknown to law and democracy.
“The status quo remains. I am still the speaker. It is only two-thirds of the 24 lawmakers that can impeach or suspend the speaker and only eight of them cannot suspend or impeach the speaker.
“It is true that they formed a quorum but a quorum cannot impeach the speaker,” Odo said.
He said he was being persecuted for not signing a forged supplementary appropriation for 2012, which the governor allegedly wanted him and the clerk of the assembly to sign in 2015.
Odo claimed that the document had no records in the proceedings of the assembly.
The speaker said the assembly would resume its plenary session today.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
