Lawmakers at the Imo State House of Assembly (IMHA) have said that the impeachment of the Speaker, Paul Emeziem, was done with recourse to the rules governing the house and the Nigerian constitution.
Speaking to newsmen on Monday, November 8, 2021, shortly after the plenary, Hon. Johnson Duru (Ideato South) said nineteen (19) members of the Assembly voted for Emeziem’s impeachment having earlier made Hon. Uju Onwudiwe Speaker pro tem to preside over the session which saw Kennedy Ibeh (Obowo) elected as Speaker.
Duru who accused the former Speaker of unparliamentary conduct added that the decision of the house was to sanitize and uphold the integrity of the legislature.
“Recently, the former Speaker on the floor of the house read a purported resolution of eighteen members to impeach the Deputy Speaker, Amara Iwuanyanwu. No reason was given. We have house rules which were not obeyed. The former Speaker acted ultra vires. It is unparliamentary, disgusting, and shameful” Duru said.
Another lawmaker Frank Ugboma who represents Oguta State Constituency accused Emeziem of forging signatures of the 18 members of the house who were said to have signed Iwuanyanwu’s ouster as Deputy Speaker.
This, according to him, included seven suspended lawmakers who had not been recalled before the plenary session and were not present.
He wondered how the former Speaker could have secured the consent of 18 of 27 legislators to impeach the Deputy Speaker only for 19 of them to impeach him days later.
Ugboma said the lawmakers also suspended the impeached Speaker as well as two other members, Okey Onyekamma (Mbaitoli) and Ekene Nnodumele (Orsu) while setting up an ad-hoc committee to review the situation and make recommendations.
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