Crisis rocks Ebonyi House of Assembly as two members emerge deputy speaker

The drama started on Monday when the Speaker Ebonyi House of Assembly (EBHA), Rt. Hon. Ogbonnaya Nwifuru declared the seat of his deputy, Rt. Hon. Odefa Obasi Odefa vacant and immediately, swore in the member representing Afikpo North-West constituency, Kingsley Ikoro as the new deputy speaker in the presence of 15 out of the 24 members of the Assembly elected. 

The 15 lawmakers are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ikoro was elected at the House plenary presided over by the Assembly Speaker, Chief Francis Nwifuru, who read the letter on the floor of the house purporting that Odefa has resigned his membership of the Assembly. The letter was dated 15th December 2021.

After the letter was read on the floor of the House, the Speaker, Nwifuru, declared his seat vacant with Ogonnaya Ikoro elected the new deputy speaker following a motion moved the member representing Ohaozara West Constituency, Chief Onu Nwoye and seconded by Chief Anthony Nwegede of Izzi East constituency.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

• • Nollywood, Watch Your Back, Skitmakers Are Taking Over!
  • 70-year-old man bags UNILAG PhD
  • Kyari: Some Tears For Nigeria Police
  • IBEDC: How Boardroom Squabbles Brought Down A High Flier

Ikoro, who was Deputy Leader of the Assembly before his election by the 15 lawmakers, in an interview with journalists said, “It is an opportunity to serve. Politics is all about the people because the mandate you are holding is the mandate of the people, you are just a trustee of the people’s mandate. So, any opportunity to serve the people is highly welcomed.”

But Odefa, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at a press briefing in Abakaliki flanked by his PDP lawmaker colleagues’ said he did not author any letter of resignation as a member of the state House of Assembly and vowed to sue the Speaker for what he described as a forgery.

He maintained that he is still the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly describing his removal as a waste of time and null and void.

“You don’t place something on nothing, it does not exist. They lack the powers to purport and forge letters and read on my behalf for my colleagues purportedly written by me, that’s a serious crime if they don’t know.

“One thing they don’t know is that no member of the House of Assembly has immunity. In the constitution of this country, only the President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor have immunity. No other person has immunity,” he said.