Anambra Stakeholders Regret Failed Impeachment Of Speaker

He said the woman who is the Education Secretary of Nnewi South LGA is not from the local government. 

He said in other councils in the state, the Education Secretaries were from the local governments they serve in.

He claimed the chairman of SUBEB (State Universal Education Board) was nominated  by the immediate past speaker of the House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili ,who equally came from her community, Ogbaru  and several others nominated by her from her community have continued to serve in their various capacities despite the fact that the woman was no longer the speaker.

“Go to Anambra north in Aguleri and see what Governor Obiano is doing there. 

“He’s developing the entire place, employing several Aguleri youths into the state civil service appointing Aguleri people into juicy positions.

“Here, a lot of our graduate youths are roaming about streets of major cities in the country searching for job. 

“For over four years, we had no power supply in this community because the entire community was disconnected by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company” he said angrily.

“People are suffering too much in this community yet we say our daughter is the Speaker, what manner of speaker? 

“Have you seen our general hospital?” he queried, while pointing towards the direction of the hospital along the Afor-Uhuomaha road.

“My brother, it has been such a disastrous experience for us. I believe many of our people had learnt their lessons in a bitter way. 

“We would no longer be carried away by empty promises “.

When asked about the allegations of highhandedness levelled against the speaker by the embittered members, he said he is not surprised.

 He said the speaker is an arrogant person, that she treats people with contempt.

“Can you imagine; since after elections, if you call this woman on the phone to solicit for one assistance or the other, the moment you introduce yourself as from Ukpor, she will angrily shout at you and warn you not to ever call her number again.

“This was the same woman who came begging almost crying for votes during the campaigns.

“ Several people voted for her because of her husband. 

“Her husband is an influential member of our community; he commands a lot of respect but it has turned out to be a very big mistake. It is very shocking.

“We have not been lucky with good representatives. 

“The people before her, Mr. Nelson Achukwu and Mr. Ikenna Amaechi, the son of Dara Akunwafor, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi were also very big failures. 

“But this is the first time someone from Ukpor had risen to the position of number three citizen and we have high expectations.

“Frankly, we were excited when she won speakership position; we had prayed that this is our once in a lifetime opportunity to transform our community for good. 

“When she did her thanksgiving ceremony after she was elected speaker, several members of the community came from all over the country to celebrate with her and support her. 

“To say she has not justified such good will is an understatement” he added.

Another source who doesn’t want her name in print appealed for patience. 

She said people should give the speaker more time that she’s confident that she will deliver. She quickly reminded our correspondent that she’s a woman and doing her best.

However,  at a ‘Stakeholders for Willie Obiano 2nd Term’ meeting convened by supporters of  Governor Obiano in the local government  held on Friday at the Ukpor Town Hall, Maduagwu while addressing party supporters, acknowledged the tremendous pressures from her community to perform and regretted the delays in completion of abandoned projects in the community. 

She assured them that, pressures or no pressure that she would deliver on her campaign promises. 

She reminded the gathering that she attracted some projects to the community in her first term and would do so again. 

She lamented her enormous workload as number three citizen of the state saying it has not been a smooth sail for her in the House.

When reminded about the promises at Friday’s stakeholders meeting and her previous achievements, some of our sources were quick to fault them. 

They said it is the same old story. 

Our sources said some of the projects the speaker claimed she attracted in her first tenure, the Umunuko-Ozubulu road now abandoned by Obiano’s administration was actually conceived by Mr. Ikenna Amaechi during his time in the house but said due to disagreements with then governor Obi, the project could not commence. 

They said aside from that no new project has been initiated by the speaker and lamented that it was quite unfortunate as she longer had time on her side.

Amaechi, now a chieftain of APGA in the local government, represented the constituency in the state Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) from 2007-2011 where he served as the House committee chairman on Appropriation.

A fortnight ago sign of cracks in the support base of the speaker manifested publicly when some aggrieved youths from the community who were hitherto her supporters, according to our investigations, under the aegis of Ukpor Youth Movement led by one Mazi Okwu Okwu published an open letter to the governor on March 16th,2017 edition of Authority newspaper titled  ‘2017: Guber: Governor Willie Obiano Bia Buru Afor Ukpor Ka I Zuo’. 

The letter signed by several others accused the governor of neglecting the community despite the contributions of the community in ensuring the victory of the party at the polls.

They warned the governor to stay away from the community as he will no longer enjoy the support of youths in the community in the 2017 gubernatorial elections unless he changes his attitude towards the community.

The group said Obiano’s lack of projects in the community has put the speaker in a very difficult situation both in the House and the community.

“Thus in Ukpor, Mr. Speaker is held in contempt, likewise in the House of Assembly; she is accused of over sheltering you and the Executive Government you lead. 

“Yet you do nothing in return rewarding her allegiance and loyalty. 

“This observable let down on Mr. Speaker has seen the House having attempted to impeach her on several occasions. 

“Are you watching for Mr. Speaker to go down before you take her into confidence and giving Ukpor befitting attention and projects/contracts that would see her no longer held in contempt?” they asked.

In a counter response, another youth group, Ukpor Youth Organisation, in a statement issued by one Mr. Nkwado Onwughalu, distanced themselves from the warnings in the letter. 

Mr. Onwughalu cited some ongoing projects by the Obiano’s administration in the community, claims which our sources vehemently debunked. 

One of our sources said the only government presence in the community is the speaker’s official convoy, which they normally get to see during burial and wedding ceremonies in the community. 

He said that no project can be traced to Obiano’s administration in the community.

It is yet to be seen which of the youth groups will have the upper hand at the polls but what is clear is that all is not well at home for madam speaker coupled with the battle to save her job at Awka. 

Ukpor is traditionally the support base of ACN now APC because of the achievements of a former governor of the state and now a Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige in the community until the last state House of Assembly elections when the community overwhelmingly voted APGA because of one of their own and with the hope that Obiano will continue some of the laudable projects started by his predecessor, Peter Obi in the community. 

As it appears, that has not been the case. 

Will the divisions in the Speaker’s base become a clog in the wheel of Obiano’s second term ambition in the local government even if she survives the impeachment threats? 

Only time will tell!

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