– As Former Speaker, Nduka, Still Occupies Official Lodge
The refusal of the former Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Emeka Nduka to vacate the Speaker’s lodge two months after he left office, to allow his successor pack in is causing ripples among legislators and some concerned members of Uzodinma’s cabinet.
A source who confided in our Reporter in respect of the development said, “It is unclear why Nduka, who represented Ehime Mbano State Constituency but was not re-elected as a member of the house, has remained perpetually in the official accommodation.
However, credible sources in the government revealed to our correspondent that it is at the Governor’s behest that the former speaker and his family still live in the Speaker’s lodge.
The development, it was gathered, has worried many of the house members, as well as the Governor’s cabinet members.
A source who prefers to remain anonymous confirmed that the lawmakers are divided on the issue, but those who are disappointed over the Governor’s bizarre action would not speak for fear of being victimized by the Governor.
Our source said that the Speaker as of the time of this report either seeks shelter in a friend’s house or operates from a hotel.
She said: “The former Speaker has not vacated the Speaker’s lodge because the Governor instructed him to remain there. As we speak, his wife and children live there. All efforts made to get the Governor to rescind the decision have proven abortive. He doesn’t seem to care and no nobody, not even the Speaker himself can speak out about it. They fear that if they do, the next day they will be fired.”
“What we have here is an unfortunate situation. What surprises most people is that the former Speaker Hon. Nduka was not even re-elected. So to start with, he is not a member of the House of Assembly anymore. The current speaker is being accommodated by his friends. Sometimes he goes to sleep in a hotel. It’s a terrible scandal.”
Olemgbe is the fifth Speaker since Uzodimma’s controversial assumption of office and many in the State feel that the latest issue surrounding the Speaker’s accommodation has shown how much the Governor has dealt treacherously with the State’s legislature, making sure that she lost her integrity and credibility completely.
“It’s funny, but true, that the Imo State House of Assembly is like an extension of the Governor’s office where the lawmakers are his servants and aides. They are like pawns in the hands of the Governor. This is the worst government and House of Assembly I have seen in Imo State” one Osita Cosmos who spoke to our correspondent lamented.
“If Gov. Uzodimma can conquer them to the point of treating the office of the Speaker with such disdain, then it is finished. Where lies the separation of power and legislative autonomy he once talked about? It’s all deceit” he added.
