The Imo State House of Assembly on Tuesday impeached its Speaker, Chief Goodluck Opiah, and suspended nine of its members.
The suspended members are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Jonas Okeke; Stan Dara; Oyibo Nwaneri; Declan Madu; and Majority Leader, Chukwuemeka Egbuchulam.
Others are Bede Eke; Josephat Emenaha; Ray Emana and Louise Chukwu.
Opiah, who represents Ohaji/Egbema State Constituency, was impeached on the floor of the House during a plenary session shortly after an executive session by 14 members of the House.
Opiah's impeachment and the suspension of the nine members just two days after the new governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, was inaugurated and a few days to the end of the tenure of the current House of Assembly.
Therefore, the House has also elected a new Speaker and new Deputy Speaker, Mr. Amaechi Nwoha, representing Nwangele state constituency and Mr. Ifeanyi Agwu, from Ehime Mbano, respectively, to oversee the affairs of the House for the remaining days before winding up.
The new leadership of the House has directed the suspended members to hand over all properties of the House in their possession to the clerk of the House.
The Assembly also directed the director of accounts in the assembly to stop further financial transaction and to forward the statement of accounts to the new leadership with immediate effect.
Speaking on the development, member, representing Isu Constituency, Mr. Ikenna Emeh, regretted the non-payment of civil servants in the state by former Governor Ikedi Ohakim.
He urged Okorocha to remedy the situation immediately to ameliorate the plight of the civil servants.
The new Speaker told journalists shortly after the plenary session that their action was based on the high-handedness and corrupt practices of the the former Speaker.
He promised to use the few days to support Okorocha and to change some obnoxious and anti-people laws passed by the House under the leadership of Opiah.
He said the House would pass a motion to ask Okorocha to commence immediate probe of Ohakim, while it will probe Opiah.
Nwoha said there was nothing wrong in probe, stressing that the immediate past governor probed his predecessor, Chief Achike Udenwa.
Effort to speak with Opiah was unsuccessful as his phone indicated it was switched off, but his Chief Press Secretary, Kelechi Mejuobi, said he would not react to illegality.
By Simon Utebor