Impeached Abia Speaker Presides Over Plenary, Suspends Dep. Speaker, 8 Others

The embattled Abia State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, on Tuesday presided over plenary at the assembly complex despite his reported impeachment.

The speaker during the plenary suspended his deputy, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Uchendu and eight other members for one month.

This came hours after some members of the assembly announced his impeachment.

Moving a motion for their suspension, member representing Umuahia South Constituency, Hon Jerry Uzosike, lamented that the actions of the affected members had brought disrepute to the Abia State House of Assembly.

Supporting the motion, the member representing Isiala Ngwa North State Constituency and Member-Elect of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Ginger Onwusibe, decried the low level governance had been brought to in Abia State following the alleged sponsorship of the impeachment plot by a special adviser to Governor Victor Ikpeazu.

The suspended lawmakers are:

Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Uchendu
Rt. Hon. Kennedy Njoku
Hon. Chikwendu Kalu
Hon. Chukwudi Apugo
Hon. Aaron Uzodike
Hon. Thomas Nkoro
Hon. Okey Igwe
Hon. Obinna Ichita, and
Hon. Chijioke Chukwu.

The house also unanimously elected Hon. Mandela Obasi as the substantive deputy speaker.

The suspension of the lawmakers followed the failed attempt to impeach the speaker.