UPDATED: ANAMBRA SPEAKER, RITA MADUAGWU, IMPEACHED

UPDATED: ANAMBRA SPEAKER, RITA MADUAGWU, IMPEACHED

The Hon. Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. (Mrs) Rita Maduagwu (Nnewi South II State Constituency) has been impeached.

The House affected the impeachment on Tuesday, November 13, during plenary, held at the Assembly Complex in Awka, the state capital.

The impeachment followed a motion moved by Hon. Ikemefuna Uzoezie representing Aguata II State Constituency and seconded by  the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. (Apostle) Onyebuchi Augustine Offor representing Ekwusigo State Constituency.

She was impeached by a total of 20 out of the 30 members of the House.

The development arose even as Governor Willie Obiano is on a visit to France in the company of President Mohammadu Buhari.

Member representing Aguata II State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Ikemefuna Uzoezie has emerged as new Speaker of the House.

Recall that on Thursday, April 6, 2017, there was a failed attempt by members of the State Assembly to impeach the Speaker. The Speaker allegedly disappeared with the mace, the symbol of authority of the House, to her Ukpor country home in Nnewi South Local Government Area, when she got the wind that her colleagues had concluded plans to impeach her over alleged high handedness and other sundry offences.

Chief Press Secretary of the State Assembly, Mr Emma Mmadu, when contacted by Anaedooline, confirmed the development but refused to go into details.

While speaking to newsmen after the plenary, the new Speaker, Hon. Uzoezie said the activities, actions and inactions of Hon. Maduagwu as Speaker of the House became so unbearable that the Assembly had to take drastic action.

The new Speaker, however, declined comment when asked about the rumour making the rounds that Obiano is their primary target.

Meanwhile, Anaedooline confirmed that the outgone Speaker, Rita Maduagwu, sat in an undisclosed hotel in Awka with 9 of her supporters, but the outcome of their meeting was not yet known as at the time of filing this report.

Hon. Rita Maduagwu with her supporters

Before his emergence as Speaker, Hon. Uzoezie, who is a two-time member of the House, was Chairman, House Committee on Environment; as well as the member, Finance and Appropriation Committee, member of the committee on Transport and member of the committee on Education.