No impeachment took place in Ebonyi Assembly, say legislators

The crisis rocking the Ebonyi State House of Assembly took another dimension yesterday when 11 members of the Assembly said the purported impeachment of their Speaker Chukwuma Nwazunku did not take place.

On Monday, some members of the Ebonyi Assembly reportedly sat outside the Assembly chamber and removed Nwazunku based on allegations bordering on gross misconduct, among others.

But addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, 11 members of the House, led by Nwazunku said the purported impeachment could not stand because it lacks constitutional backing.

They said based on constitutional provision, in a House of 24 members, signatures of two-third of lawmakers are required to impeach a speaker, whereas only 11 members allegedly sat and said they removed Nwazunku.

Reading their position, one of the 11 lawmakers, Odeta Obasi Odeta, said the current crisis in the Assembly began when Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader in the state Chinedu Oga accused the speaker of buying PDP forms to contest for the House of Representatives.

The 11 lawmakers include the Speaker Nwazunku, Odeta, Chike Ogiji Imo, Frank Nwaka Onwe, Nwaifuru Francis Ogbonna, Valentine Okike Uzor, Joseph Nwaobasi, Julius Nwokpor, Nwibo Vincent Mbam, Enyi C. Enyi and Nnenna Nwenne.

“When the Speaker bought the form, the youth leader told him to give him monetary inducement else he will convince the governor to remove him as the Speaker. True to his words, the youth leader Chinedu Oga alongside two other top government functionaries invited some members to a meeting in the private home of the Chief Whip, Hon Ikoro Kingsley, on Sunday, 9th November.

“The Speaker on his part called for a sitting of the House the following day being Monday, 10th November, 2014. Eleven members out of the 24 sat and suspended Hon Ikoro Kingsley, in whose private home the impeachment plot was hatched and Hon Oliver Nwachukwu who assisted him in collecting the funds for the impeachment. They were suspended for 14 days in the first instance, as contained in our House rules.

The 11 lawmakers said the purported impeachment had the backing of the state governor Martin Elechi whose commissioner for information, Ifeanyi Ike “in a press conference announced that the governor has accepted the purported impeachment of the Speaker.”

While appealing to Governor Elechi to ensure protection of lives and property of members of the House and all Ebonyi citizens, the lawmakers said, “We shall not impeach our Speaker for any selfish reason.”