Two speakers lay claim to leadership of Ebonyi House, differ over bond

 

The crisis rocking the Ebonyi State House of Assembly yesterday seems to be deepening as two  lawmakers, Chukwuma Nwazunku and Blaise Orji, are laying claims to the speakership of the House.
Meanwhile, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu yesterday declared the readiness of President Goodluck Jonathan and that of the party’s national secretariat to wade into the crisis rocking the Ebonyi State chapter of the party.

While claiming the leadership of the House, embattled Speaker, Nwazunku had petitioned President Jonathan to withhold approval of the present 15 billion naira Bond, applied by the State government pending when the House would be properly briefed on the use and performance of the earlier 16.5 Naira billion bond.
But   another factional Speaker of the House,  Orji said that his  predecessor, Nwazunku needed  to undergo psychiatric evaluation to ascertain if he was  psychologically healthy to occupy any elective position. He faulted Nwazunku’s  petition to the President on the bond.
Orji stated this in Abakaliki after his led faction met with Governor Martin Elechi at the Government House.
 In a letter dated November 10,2O14 addressed to the President, Nwazunku noted that the House was yet to be properly briefed on the use and performance of the previous bond obtained by the state government.
The speaker urged the President to withhold the approval of the second bond which the State government had applied for, pending when their relevant committee is properly briefed on the use of the first bond when the House reconvenes from its recess on December 15.
He recalled that the State government had in 2010 obtained a bond of 16.5 billion naira from the Capital market for the purpose of financing certain capital projects in the state which was also captured by the new bond.
According to him “since our approval of the second bond, certain revelations have come to light to warrant keeping the second bond
application in view of  pending a proper detailed briefing of the House on the use of the first bond.
“It does not appear as if the first bond has been properly used in view of the fact that the target projects the bond was meant for was scarcely attended to, to the extent that even in the next one year, the projects will never be completed, ”he added.
Though Orji claimed that the embattled Nwazunku was allegedly impeached by about 16 members of the House who elected him(Orji), then the deputy speaker as the new speaker.
But the  alleged impeachment came after 10 members of the House led by Nwazunku had suspended two members of the Orji faction and declared a recess till December 15.