Enugu House serves Chime impeachment notice

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has been served with a notice of impeachment by the House of Assembly.
The House levelled allegations of corruption and high-handedness against the governor. Fourteen of the twenty-four members of the House approved the process, where Eugene Odoh, speaker of the House, presided.

Chime and the House have been at daggers drawn over the lawmakers’ refusal to approve N11 billion loan for the government. The governor was also accused of inducing members of the House to move against Odoh, the speaker, and the leadership of the House.

Christopher Chukwurah, the clerk of the House, who was present at Monday’s plenary, was directed to serve the notice on the governor immediately.

The House also suspended Chime Oji, the deputy speaker, who was recently elected to represent Enugu North/South federal constituency; Emeka Ogbuabor and John Kevin Ukwuta, deputy House leader, at the session having allegedly found them guilty of misconduct and violating House rules.

However, after the session, a group of lawmakers led by the suspended deputy speaker sat without the mace and ‘impeached’ the speaker. The nine lawmakers who arrived the House with another mace, reversed the suspension order earlier approved by the Odoh-led leadership and removed Odoh as speaker.

Chinedu Nwamba, representing Nsukka East constituency, was ‘elected’ new speaker by the group.