Information reaching Pointblanknews.com indicates that some members of the
Abia State House of Assembly, intensified plans to oust their Speaker,
Hon. Martins Azubuike.
Sources hinted that the plot to sack Azubuike may not be unconnected to an
alleged pre election agreement which was meant to install Senator Theodore
Orji’s son, Chinedum, as Speaker. The plot was greeted with outrage across
the state leading to the younger Orji being compensated with the post of
Majority Leader of the House.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is believed to be under pressure from his
godfathers to relieve the Speaker of his position in accordance with the
alleged pre-election agreement that brought him to office. Already, a
financial war chest of over N300 million, was said to have been made
available for the plot and being shared to members who have cued into the
plot.
Names being propped up to replace the Speaker include Chikwendu Kalu,
Chinedum Orji and Kennedy Njoku. The duo of Njoku and Kalu have been
placed on standby in the event Chinedum is once again, rejected by the
stakeholders.
According to a ranking member of the House, the impeachment may be carried
out at the next sitting of the House in Umuahia as over 10 PDP members are
said to have signed.
Out of the 15 PDP members in the House who are alleged to have signed the
impeachment notice include Chikwendu Kalu, Deputy Speaker Cosmas Ndukwe,
Kennedy Njoku, Chinedum Orji, Solomon Akpulonu, Munachim Alozie,
Chidiebere Thomas Nkoro , Ochuru Obasi and Blessing Nwagba.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that no APGA member of the House has signed
the impeachment notice even as the arrow heads of the plot claim to have
garnered 20 signatures. As at press time, reports of some APGA members
such as Chijioke Nwachukwu and Ifeanyi Uchendu, signing the impeachment
notice, could not be confirmed.
To retain his position, the Speaker has been reaching out to party leaders
and elders of the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc including Dr. Emmanuel Adaelu and Senator
Enyinnaya Abaribe, to intervene. Azubuike is also said to be reaching out
to leaders of the APGA in the state to prevail on their 9 members in the
House not to sign the impeachment notice.