Imo lawmakers plot speaker's removal

There are moves by some aggrieved members of the Imo state use of Assembly to sack the speaker, Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim, over his alleged rudderless leadership of the state legislature.

A few of the lawmakers who spoke to newsmen under the condition of strict anonymity, regretted that with just about two years to the end of their tenure, "the only achievement of speaker Acho Ihim so far is reducing the state assembly to an appendage of the governor and rendering it ineffective in the discharge of its core mandates."

The lawmakers who reluctantly accepted to be referred to as G-13, note that the speaker's drab performance is not without reason, adding that it is largely driven by his governorship ambition come 2019, and the hope that he would get the endorsement of the incumbent governor, by becoming his apron string.

Rising from the meeting of notable politicians in the state, the lawmakers resolved that the alleged ambition of the speaker to succeed Governor Rochas Okorocha, was progressively undermining the office of the speaker and reducing the house to a mere appendage of the governor's office.

We have commenced the collection of signatories so we can at the appropriate time do the needful if the speaker fails to heed the call to toe the path of honour or tender his resignation." one of the lawmakers noted.

The lawmakers were unanimous that the speaker's closeness with the governor had robbed members of the house their legitimate entitlements, thinking that the speaker may have walked into a deal that tied his hands because of what he expected from the governor come 2019.

In as much as we are not against him nursing any ambition, but a situation where such ambition is undermining the functions of his office, he should therefore resign or face impeachment. His actions have ridiculed the house enough. He should resign and concentrate on his governorship ambition. We are the most impoverished crop of lawmakers in Nigeria today, working in a parliament where entitlements of lawmakers are not paid, and yet the speaker is running around with the governor baby-sitting and singing his praises"