After news filtered in this morning that lawmakers in Enugu state today began impeachment proceedings against the state governor, Sullivan Chime.
The tide seem to have been turned as the crisis currently rocking the Enugu State House of Assembly has claimed its first casualty with the impeachment of the Speaker, Hon. Eugene Odoh.
Daily Sun reports that Odo was the head of a 15-member faction of the Enugu State House of Assembly, which commenced the impeachment process against Gov. Sullivan Chime over accusations of alleged financial misconduct.
According to The Nation, Odo was accused of promoting acts that have brought the House to ridicule.
Some members of the House at a meeting presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Hon Chime Oji and attended by the Clerk of the House, Mr. Christopher Chukwurah, elected a member representing Nsukka East constituency, Hon Chinedu Nwamba, as Odo’s replacement.
Prior to the impeachment, the House had earlier suspended the former Speaker and eight other members for allegedly committing acts which, according to the members, bordered on “legislative rascality and recklessness.”
Also removed were the Leader of the House, Hon. S.K.E Ude Okoye and the Chief Whip, Hon Theresa Egbo, who were replaced with Hon. Donatus Uzoagbado and Dr. Emeka Ogbuabor respectively.
During their session in the chambers, the Nwamba- led group recalled a member of the house representing Udi North consituency, Mr Johnbll Nwagu, who was unanimously suspended two weeks ago for making unguarded utterances.
The group reversed an earlier motion that froze the accounts of the state basic education board as well as the directive that the Universal Basic Education Commission should stop further transactions with its Chairman, Ms Nneka Onuorah.
Meanwhile, as Governor Chime prepares to handover to the governor-elect, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, reports say he has already moved out of the Enugu state Government House.
*I am still in charge – Enugu assembly speaker
But the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Mr Eugene Odo, has described his purported impeachment by the nine-man faction of the lawmakers as legislative recklessness and impunity.
Odo said on Monday that he was still the speaker of the assembly.
He noted that the action of the Chinedu Nwamba group was illegal, unknown to law and unknown to 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.
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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 that the crisis started when the lawmakers declined to sign the N11 billion loan sought by the governor less than 60 days to the end of his tenure.
“The governor surreptuously called some members and gave them N2 million each to impeach the speaker,’’ he alleged.
According to him, one of the lawmakers who felt that the impeachment was against his conscience pulled out, leaving only eight of them.
The speaker said that the assembly would resume its plenary session on Tuesday.
