RATHER than checkmate corruption, incompetence and abuse of office in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, the removal of the Speaker, Ikechukwu Nwankwo, has instead worsened the state of affairs in the House.
Following the questionable removal of the former Speaker, Ikechukwu Nwankwo, over alleged fraudulent activities like looting the treasury of the House, abuse of office and incompetence in handling legislative matters, the house had been in one turbulent moment or the other.
Though not convincing enough, Ikechukwu Nwankwo from the day he was sworn in as the speaker of the fourth state House of Assembly on June 7, 2011, was seen to be very innocent of perpetrating such alleged crime, but who knows if those he had stepped on their toes before have decided to pay him back in his own coin, or could it be that he failed to play his cards very well?
From all indications, Nwankwo representing Ebonyi North/ West constituency was one of the lucky eight House members who, out of the 24 members that made up the third Assembly, failed in their comeback bid during the January 2011 primary election in the state but surprisingly returned to the fourth Assembly.
He was also lucky to have been elected as the speaker of the fourth Assembly following the high level of experience, courage, brevity, loyalty, dedication to service of humanity and most importantly, he was seen as a man whose unalloyed performance elevated him to a greater height.
Notable people in the state confirm that his work rate as a speaker, was of exclamatory proportion and managerial ability remains positively intact.
That sounds very interesting, meaning that his constituency could count on his truthfulness even in challenging periods.
Obviously, Ebonyi State from its creation in 1996 by the than military administrator Sani Abacha, is known to be civic, peaceful and united in handling issues of either political disparity or interest, religious clashes, community boundary crisis and other forms of abnormality that have capacity to destroy the policies and programmes of the state government.
But as it stands now, there is a strong belief that the removal of the embattled speaker was not unconnected with the clash of interest between two cabals that head the ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters (A) and ministry of Grants and Donor agencies (B).
Believably, this cabal makes decisions for the Ebonyi State Government and had since the inception of the administration of Governor Martin Elechi in 2007 till date, been at a dagger drawn over whose candidates become the speaker, state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), commissioners, senators representing the three senatorial zones and the six federal constituencies or whose candidates occupy other federal positions.
However, the most pitiable about these upheavals is that these two cabals were from the same Ikwo local government area with the governor.
Convincingly, the tussle was music to the heart of all the people, no matter their political affiliations, religious denominations, and kindred, even most at times may have the tendency of affecting government wills to make decipherable decisions.
This is because a family on fire may not be disposed to fight a common course, mostly when the father of the house is divided of which battle to fight first.
Is it the opposition parties or the aide’s controversy?
To make matters even worse, the clash of political interest between the two has left the Ebonyi peasantries to the vagaries of political quagmire where those in power would spend the resources, which may have been stolen from the economy of the state either to buy over members of the house to take decision in their favor.
Obviously, it was not too long the relationship lasted.
This has generated a lot of questions from elites and stakeholders of the state on reasons for the sack of the speaker now.
Even when it is a known fact that it is not the best time for the members of the house to impeached the erstwhile speaker, considering that the congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which most of members belong, will kickstart on January 7, 2012.
Although most members of the party would say it is a calculated attempt to remove the speaker by cabal (B) who has an interest in the chairmanship of the party.
Though there is a strong belief that the speaker was replaced by another notable party stalwart that hails from the same constituency with him to head the party as the chairman.
This is because Nwankwo couldn't be speaker while somebody from the same constituency becomes the party chairman.
It is on this ground that Nwankwo was edged out by cabal (B).
Convincible as it seems, a source close to the State House of Assembly alleged that the members of the house may have been rewarded with N7 million each by cabal (B) and their allies whom the erstwhile speaker had stepped on their toes for blatantly refusing him supply the monetised cars for the members of the House.
To this end, the erstwhile speaker before the impeachment, had revealed that he had no enemy to fight and wondered why people should be after him.
He also noted that it was not the best time to fight political enemies and dismissed the allusion that the House members were divided over the choice of official vehicles being offered them to buy.
‘I wish to state without fear of contradiction that there had never been a time the present Fourth Assembly was divided on the issue of monetised car.
You are hearing from the Speaker by the grace of God and I do not wish to be misquoted.
‘The Fourth Assembly was inaugurated on the 7th of June 2011.
Immediately after the inauguration I thought it wise that members that had no individual or private cars were entitled to a car.
We sat as one house, as one family and agreed in strict accordance with the provisions of Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission that a car should be provided to the House, which will be off-set through the salaries.
‘That is what the constitution said and there was never and there will never be a time that there will be division in that aspect. We have made our choice and our choice is in accordance with the provisions of this law.
Whatever rumours that is being peddled in town or whatever write-up in the local dailies is but fallacies. They are what I term as “balderdash,” Nwankwo said.
To substantiate his claims he said that the fourth Assembly was not the first to have opposition parties other than the PDP dominated members, saying that there were opposition political parties that won election and became members of Ebonyi State House ofAssembly during the first Assembly.
‘The records are there for you to not only investigate but to properly educate the uninformed.
By the will of God, in the fourth Assembly, we have two members of the opposition party (ANPP) that emerged victorious, so to speak, in the last concluded April general elections, they are with us and ever since the inauguration of this present House of Assembly there had been no bickering, there had been no back-biting, there had been no in-fighting, the House is intact, the House is mature,’ he said.
To his greatest surprise even as he pledged to run an open door policy and to partner with every body in the state to ensure effective legislation in the State House of Assembly but his foes were elsewhere planning for his downfall and indeed, luck ran out of him on the earlier hour of Wednesday December 21, 2011, when the members of the House gave him (Ikechukwu Nwankwo) a distressed phone call that the House has reviewed his stewardship and found him incompetent, fraudulent to pilot the affairs of the fourth Assembly.
This followed a motion moved by Ali Odefia a member represented Onicha East constituency, seconded by the Chief Whip of the House Mr.Kingsely Ikoro, supported by 20 members out of the 24 members of the House and presided over by the deputy speaker, valentines day flower delivery.
The impeachment was based on the renovation of the state House Chambers which according to report was single handedly managed by the former speaker without the collaboration of the members where huge amount of money was spent.
Indeed, Ali Odefia said “24 out of the 24 members of the House endorsed the impeachment and the immediate removal of the speaker and we do so in line with section 92 (2c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended which gives us power to remove any speaker, at the point we feel necessary provided we have the considered mandate of the 2/3.
‘About twenty members signed in, agreedand endorsed in for the immediate removal of the speaker, that was done and it has been fully effected and the new speaker is Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku.
This is the new speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.’
‘May we also warn that no one has, by the constitution of Nigeria, only the governor of the state and the deputy governor has the immunity to prosecution, if you think you are smart, remember you have no immunity, if the former speaker threatens us or attempts to threaten the peace of the state, he has to explain to the Anti-craft agency ICPC, EFCC and he has a lot of cases to answer.
‘Moreover, let me reassure that we are pledging unalloyed corporation and working relationship with the Governor Elechi, and the executives’, Odefa stated.
Immediately after the impeachment of the speaker, a member representing Ebonyi North/ East constituency was elected as the new speaker of the House whereas the deputy speaker, the floor functionaries of the House remains same.
But, the fear of whether the leadership of the new speaker would last have come on the trail as groups in Ebonyi North senatorial zone know as Izzi Nnodo Youth Forum, (INYF), has condemned in totality the impeachment of the former Speaker by few selected member of the House.
They faulted the emergence of Mr. Nwazunku as the new speaker, saying that the impeachment is unheard of, unjust and alleged that it was carried out by some members and not a two/third majority as recommended by the law governing the operations of the House.
The chairman of the union, Prince Maurice Mbam and other 20 members after an emergency meeting held at Izzi Development Union hall, said the entire exercise was a desecration of the land, alleging that the national youth leader of PDP (names withheld) led some hoodlums into the State House of Assembly that broke into the Speaker’s office and made away with the mace.
The action according to him paved way for the impeachment of Nwankwo.
‘The impeachment of the former Speaker was a clear testament that insecurity, political thuggery and politics of bitterness were common instruments used by some stakeholders to victimise citizens of the state at the least provocation’ but denied that the charges leveled against Mr. Nwankwo were fabricated in order to give him a bad name for his eventual dethronement from office.
‘That we hereby warn all the elected House of Assembly members of Izzi extraction to disassociate themselves from this gruesome and dastard act.
We call on all our leaders and leaders of thought to rise and condemn this act as this is not good for this young state that is noted for peaceful coexistence and our governor who is an Ambassador of Peace”.
He warned that if the state government should either delay to address or correct such injustice or should the purported new speaker enter the speaker’s office that his security is not guaranteed” he remarked.
To stage-manage the warning, there was riotous display of a group of aggrieved youths in front of the State House of Assembly last week to express their displeasure over the impeachment of the former Speaker, but unluckily the youths were dispersed by the men of the Nigerian Police who came in the company of the State Commissioner of Police; CP Adeola Adeniyi to give room to an inaugural sitting presided over by the new Speaker Rt. Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku.
To avoid the repeat of the similar mayhem in the state House , there should be adequate corporation between the new speaker and the members although there were rumours that the new speaker cannot take decision on his own except he is pushed to do so by people that installed him.
But as brave as he is may, likely wish to work in tandem with the interest of the state governor Martin Elechi to as well, show the committed effort and competent to handle the 2012 budget of the state government.
The governor had at the weekend, given recognition to the new speaker contrary to the expectations of people who see the dethronement of Nwankwo as injustice.
But on the other side, it may be that he (Elechi) is still studying what led to the immediate sack of his son.
Chief Elechi had said in a function that there is hardly any performance, competence and service delivery of those in power stressing that this accounts for the buck-passing and refusal of many top government functionaries to take decisions on various issues thatcome before them.
‘I want to use this opportunity to remind our top officers that the reality of their positions is that they are strategic leaders and decision makers.
I wish to emphasise that leadership involves risk because every decision you take is open to criticisms and attacks.
‘I am convinced that in the contest of conflicting imperatives, it is better to take a bad decision than to take no decision at all. What is most important is that in taking decisions, we must be guided by the voice of our conscience and courage of our convictions’ he said.
Therefore, it should be noted with vigour that public servant in the state should shun all forms of corrupt practices and strive to ensure adequate accountability and transparency while taking decision to avoid creating unnecessary tension of impeachment either in the legislature, judiciary and most importantly the executives.
As it appears, this would help to cushion the lingering looting of government treasury by erring politicians and as well, correct the assumed misshaped in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, propel the new speaker to sit up in spite of the impending challengers that may unfold before him
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