Constituents jubilate over suspension of Lugard Osuji
– Threaten to recall him
– Anglican church fixes day of thanksgiving
The crisis in Imo State House of Assembly which culminated in a purported suspension of the Clerk, Chief Sir Chris Duru, has taken a dramatic turn with the subsequent suspension of the Majority Leader, Hon Lugard Osuji who represents Owerri Municipal Council in the legislature. Just few days ago, Osuji was like a smoking gun, threatening to impeach the speaker and by extension, the state Governor. He had along with his collaborators staged a walkout on Acho Ihim to back his insistence that Sir Duru must be suspended as clerk of the house.
A source at the State House of Assembly complex had revealed that rather than go ahead with the impeachment procedure for which he had boastfully secured as many as 18 signatories, of his colleagues, Hon. Lugard Osuji opted for settlement and openly asked Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim for gratification, saying, “play ball or be impeached”. Acho Ihim reached out to the government house for rescue thereby intimating the Chief Executive of the ultimate move to rubbish the rescue mission administration through the removal of the clerk.
As stated by our source, the Governor while assuring the House of his willingness to comply with them and to acquiesce to their demands for settlement, pleaded with the Imo legislators to allow him to present the 2018 annual budget. Although the legislators had clandestinely assured the Governor of their support, and loyalty, they inadvertently shunned the budget presentation exercise. It was a total embarrassment and humiliation for Okorocha.
Now totally demystified and roundly humiliated by those he had already pocketed and treated as his errand boys and who do his biddings and rubber stamp his choices and preferences, Okorocha reached out to his crony whom he imposed on the Imo state chapter of the All progressives Party APC, as Chairman, Dr. Hilary Eke directing him to send in replacement for the offices of Majority Leader and Deputy to the speaker. While the letter personally signed by Dr. Hilary Eke nominating Dr. Celestine Oguwuike of Ikeduru constituency for the Majority Leader and Chinedu Offor as Deputy Majority Leader, was circulating at the Assembly complex, the duo of Lugard Osuji and Kennedy Ibe were grandstanding and busy boasting that they have more than the required 2/3 majority to stampede Acho Ihim and by extension Rochas Okorocha out of offices for gross misconducts. Another source who claimed to have seen Lugard Osuji in company of a close female permanent secretary friend of his, accused him of trying to force Sir Duru out as the clerk of the house and to replace him with his friend.
Unknown to the “kingpins of Acho Ihim and clerk must go” crusade, the Governor had penetrated their ranks and successfully applied his usual divide and rule tactics by allegedly offering the “renegades” cash offers and other mouth watering inducements, that made their demand for constituency allowances highly diminished and trifle. At Tuesday December 5, 2017 plenary, according to our source, Lugard Osuji was easily and effortlessly suspended, while his other cohorts in Kennedy Ibe who represents Obowo state constituency and Marcel Odunze of Orlu constituency earlier resigned. Rather than condemn the House leadership and Dr. Hilary Eke for supporting the Governors refusal to give accounts of all Imo allocations and internal revenues collected, as demanded by the State House of Assembly, and for deciding for the House of Assembly who their leaders should be, it was tumultuous joy when the people of Owerri Nchi Ise, kinsmen of Lugard Osuji, trouped out to the streets to celebrate his removal as Majority Leader by suspension. It was like drubbing a king Nebuchadnezzar when the news filtered into town that Lugard Osuji has been disgraced at last.
They explained that it is high time Osuji was recalled from the House of Assembly for poor representation and egocentrism, but for the Governors cover and tacit support that he earlier enjoyed. Now that Osuji has fallen from grace to grass, his constituents according to our source gave indication that they will immediately commence a recall process to force him out of the house.
Others who spoke to our reporter described the suspension of Lugard Osuji as a good omen not only to his people of Owerri Nchi Ise but the entire Imo state who now see him as an embarrassment. He was accused of embarking on self enrichment project as if election into the legislature is a license to appropriate other peoples property, and public institutions.
The now disgraced and exposed Lugard Osuji was in addition accused of appropriating the World Bank Estate Health Centre which he converted to market stalls and sold to unsuspecting traders before Umuguma youths destroyed the project. But his undoing was trespassing into a land belonging to the Anglican Communion to which he belongs. One of the Anglican Priests, who spoke to Community Watchdog Newspaper correspondent, had recalled cursing Lugard Osuji that nemesis will definitely catch up with him for appropriating their property at New Owerri where he built a mansion and presently lives.
Osuji was accused of parading a fake CofO of the Anglican Communion and despite being confronted with an original CofO to the land by the Priests of Anglican Communion, obtained several years before he became a legislator and eventually rose to become the Majority Leader. And for disregarding and treating the authorities of the Anglican church with total disregard, levity and contempt, he was almost ostracized thus ridiculing the people of Owerri Nchi Ise as godless. As if these were not enough, Lugard Osuji disregarded the cultural heritage of his people when he supported the Governor to desecrate the Ezeship stool and, balkanizing of the Ezeship of Owerri Nchi Ise into 5 different autonomous communities without properly situating New Owerri wards I and II including World Bank Housing Estate with ordinary State Development Council (SDC) or CGC, as the case may be. Lugard Osuji finally ruined his career as lawmaker by chasing the mundane and by doing so broke the camels back when he supported the wicked demolition of Ekeukwu and destruction of Mbari cultural centre and artifacts.
