BREAKING: Crisis Engulfs Imo House Of Assembly; Six Suspended

By Gideon Njoku

The silence of the grave yard which has been the lot of the Imo House of Assembly, erupted Thursday at Plenary when six members were suspended.

Also, Hon. Arthur Egwim was removed as the Chief Whip, and replaced by Hon. Obinna Opara of Nkwerre Constituency.

Very prominent among the suspended members are Hon. Philip Ejiogu and Hon. Uche Ogbuagu.

Ejiogu, PDP, who represents Owerri North, is the Minority Leader in the Assembly. His father, Chief Ambrose Ejiogu, is the Chairman of the Imo PDP Elders’ Forum.

Ogbuagu’s case is more complicated. He was a staunch member of the PDP,   and a strong ally of former Governor Emeka Ihedioha.

He campaigned vigorously for him and, his ownership of two FM Radio Stations came in handy.

But he, to the shock of the PDP,  jumped ship as soon as Ihedioha was removed from office by the Supreme Court and Senator Hope Uzodinma declared  the Governor of the State.

In jumping ship, reports alleged that he cited ill-treatment in the hands, of especially, former Deputy Governor Irona.

Once he defected to the APC, Ogbuagu was rewarded with the position of the Majority Leader of the House. But trouble was soon afoot.

One day, not quite to his knowledge, he was removed  from that office. He was later to claim that he quit on his own, a claim many debunked.

But since then, his relationship with the APC in the State has been untidy. He was conspicuously absent when the Ikeduru LGA stakeholders went to hold a bipartisan meeting with Governor Uzodinma over the Security situation in the state.

The delegation was, incidentally, led by a PDP chieftain, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, for which the State PDP pillioried him.

The party had earlier warned its members not to attend the meetings on the behest of the Governor.

Ogbuagu’s suspension from the Assembly, along with five others, marks the ultimate in his political travails in the State.

There are speculations that he could go back to the PDP even though there has been no such move from him yet.

Others suspended along with Ogbuagu and Ejiogu are:

*Kennedy Ibe, Obowo LGA.

*Michael Onyemaechi, Ihitte Uboma LGA.

*Ezerioha Dominic, Oru West LGA.

*Barr. Anyadike, Ezinihitte LGA.

No specific reason was given for their suspension, but the Speaker cited “Unparliamentary Conduct.”