Nanna Nwogu
The Abia State House of Assembly, ABSHA and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have denied any plans to impeach the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
Late week, there were strong allegations that the Abia State House of Assembly, ABSHA had concluded plans to impeach Ikpeazu.
Addressing the press after meeting with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu at the Governor’s Lodge, Aba weekend, members of the State House of Assembly led by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Uchendu dismissed the allegation as a rumour.
Accordingly, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Solomon Akpulonu and the Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwu Chijioke described the rumour as a figment of the imagination of the purveyors of the rumour and a blatant lie from the pit of hell, stating that the House was yet to even reconvene after the election recess and wondered why such rumours should be receiving attention.
Ikpeazu they noted has done well in the state and that the House is happy with him, hence, no need for any impeachment, adding “those carrying the rumour are only doing that to malign the State House of Assembly”.
While the Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwu Chijioke pointed out that, there is no way an impeachment can be carried out without his knowledge as the Minority Leader, the members of the State Assembly numbering 13 further urged Abians to disregard the unfounded rumour, assuring that they would sustain their support to Ikpeazu to enable him complete his tenure succesfully.
Similarly, in a statement from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP signed the party’s Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Elder Abraham Amah, the party recalled it’s attention to the rumour that has been trending on the social media that the plans to impeach Ikpeazu was because the PDP lost the just concluded governorship election.
According to the statement, “The PDP has held meetings with its members in the Abia State House of Assembly as well as members of the opposition Party and there is no iota of truth in the impeachment rumour.
“The rumours are just the wild imaginations of rumour mongers and detractors who are bent on destroying the peaceful legacy Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has built in his eight-year tenure as the governor of Abia State.
“The impeachment is a hoax because the governor has not committed any impeachable offence that will warrant members of the Abia State House of Assembly impeaching him in about two months to the end of his meritorious and peaceful service to the good people of Abia State.
“It is on record that Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor of Abia State in the past eight years did his best within the circumstances he found himself and Abia State. At last count, he is leaving Abia more peaceful than he met it eight years ago and anybody who is sincere to himself will attest to this extant truth.
“As a man of peace that he is, Governor Ikpeazu quickly congratulated the winner of the Abia governorship election Dr. Alex Otti and offered to provide him with a smooth transition that will enable him to hit the ground running once he is sworn into office. Such an exemplary display of political sportsmanship is rare in our polity, and Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu deserves the commendations of all, not rumours that put him in a bad light”.
The Abia PDP therefore called on Abians to disregard the impeachment rumour as “false and has no bearing with the immediate duties and preoccupation of members of the hallowed legislative chamber who are working day and night for a seamless transfer of power from one government to another”.
