Pandemonium occurred on Thursday at the Imo State House of Assembly Complex in Owerri, the state capital, after Speaker Paul Emezim, suspended the Minority Leader, Anyadike Nwosu, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party and five other members of the Assembly.
The Speaker, during an emergency plenary held under tight security, suspended the lawmakers indefinitely for alleged “unparliamentary conduct”.
The Speaker also suspended the immediate past majority leader, Uche Ogbuagu,(Ikeduru, APC), Onyemaechi Njoku(Ihitte- Uboma, APC), Kennedy Ibeh,(Obowo, APC), Philip Ejiogu,( Owerri North, PDP) and Dominic Ezerioha (Oru West, APC).
Emezim also dissolved all standing committees of the House and sacked the Chief Whip of the House, Authur Egwim, (Ideato North, APC) and replaced him with Obinna Okwara (Nkwerre, APC).
The Speaker’s action caused panic in the complex as his security aides had to fire gunshots in the air to enable Emezim to make his way out of the premises, amidst protests.
One of the suspended lawmakers, Ibeh, said, “We got a message today from the clerk of the house that there would be an emergency meeting today (Thursday) having on Wednesday adjourned till July 14.
“We got to the complex by 10am but we didn’t see the speaker. We kept waiting until when the speaker came and we moved into the chambers and signed the attendance register. The speaker immediately without recourse to the rules of the house announced the dissolution of all standing committees of the house and removed the Chief Whip of house and announced, Obinna Okwara, in his place.”
“The speaker said that the decision was taken at the executive session of the house, whereas there was no executive session. A lawmaker, Onyemaechi Njoku, stood up on the special privileges rule of the house, but the speaker shut him down. I also rose to talk but he didn’t allow me to talk.
“He abandoned the rules of the house and imported his own. Other lawmakers raised concerns but the speaker didn’t care. In the end, he announced that he had suspended the six of us for unparliamentary conduct.”
On his next line of action, Ibeh said, “Talking about political resolution, I am a member of the All Progressives Congress and the governor is the leader of the party in the state.
“I will wait for an opportunity to speak with the governor so that I will tell my own side of the story. But talking about legal redress, that is not within my consideration for now. I have suffered many political persecutions in the parliament so I have taken it as one of those persecutions.”
It was learnt that the “sudden and draconian” suspension of the six lawmakers was not unconnected with their dissatisfaction with how the finances of the Assembly were being run.