*10 ‘renegade’ lawmakers suspended
Amid confusion on Tuesday, the Abia State House of Assembly was engulfed in supremacy battle between the Speaker, Hon Chinedum Orji, and his deputy Hon Ifeanyi Uchendu, and their respective loyalists.
Speaker Orji is the son of the former Governor, Senator T.A Orji.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, some lawmaker, during their sitting at a location other that the hallowed chambers of the Assembly, which was presided over by Deputy Speaker Uchendu, pronounced Speaker Orji impeached.
But the House, during a plenary later on the floor of the Assembly presided over by the Speaker, Hon Orji, impeached the Deputy Speaker, and elected Hon. Mandela Obasi representing Ohafia North as his replacement.
Ten other lawmakers who participated in the purported impeachment of the Speaker, along with the embattled Deputy Speaker, were suspended for one month.
The suspended lawmakers include:
Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Uchendu, member, Ohafia South;
Rt. Hon. Kennedy Njoku (Osisioma North);
Rt. Hon. Chikwendu Kalu (Isiala Ngwa South);
Hon. Aaron Uzodike (Aba North);
Hon. Okey Igwe (Umunneochi)
Hon. Thomas Nkoro (Obingwa West);
Hon. Obinna Ichita (Aba South);
Hon. Mike Ukoha (Arochukwu);
Hon. Chukwudi Apugo (Umuahia East); and
Hon. Chijioke Chukwu (Bende North).
It was not clear, as of Tuesday night, what caused the rift in the House, culminating in the fiasco.
The ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has been buffeted by in-house bickering since after its abysmal performance at the just-concluded elections where it lost to the Labour Party.
Some chieftains of the party have been critical of the governor, who they accused of being responsible for party’s failure at the polls.