Collins, Cat With Nine Lives, Impeached As Imo Speaker; Implications |The Source

By Adesina Soyooye

For a moment, Hon Chiji Collins, until Friday, Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, was  a cat with nine lives.

Collins won a seat to the House, in 2019, under APGA. An ally of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, the Senator was mostly responsible for Collins’  victory at the polls. Two of them are from the same Imo North Senatorial zone. Ararume  contested for the Governorship seat.

But, as soon as The Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was declared winner, and Ararume in the third position, Collins decamped  to the PDP.

And because the Speakership was zoned to the Zone, he picked the Speakership position.

He was to decamp, again, from the PDP to the APC the  moment the Supreme Court removed Ihedioha from office, and declared Senator Hope Uzodinma Governor. And still retained his seat as Speaker – from Ihedioha to Uzodinma.

But from the day he became Speaker, he has had no breathing space. The PDP opposition in the State is very strong, and active. And, even though most members of the PDP in the House decamped to the APC with Collins as the arrow head, they gave him no respite.

Collins has been a victim of one problem or the other. From alleged certificate forgery to non performance, to alleged pandering to the Executive, to incessant threats of impeachment, Hon Chiji survived it all.

But he seemed not to have enjoyed the confidence of his colleagues. The allegations against him mounted everyday. It is debatable if he enjoyed the confidence of the Executive in the past couple of weeks.

Under his watch, one of the members who decamped with him to the APC, a few days ago, Hon Paschal Okolie, re-decamped to the PDP. And there are strong rumours that nine more members might allegedly re-decamp to the PDP.

On Friday at Plenary, Collins’ cup ran over. His colleagues impeached him. In his place,  Hon Paul Emeziem was sworn-in as Mr Speaker.

Many in the PDP fold in the State are celebrating his impeachment as Speaker. About time, they say. It is a good gift to a betrayer, they chorus. And they are speculating on the implications of his impeachment.

They insist it is a first step to a showdown with the Executive arm of the government. With him out of the way, they say the Governor is the next target.

But that will be the day.

For now, it is hoped that Collins will, perhaps, have some peace. But if what this magazine gathered is anything to go by, the alleged certificate forgery scandal could rear its head, again, sooner than later.