The immediate past speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Kennedy Ibe, has revealed that he resigned as the speaker of the state legislature to enable him pursue his third term re-election bid.
Ibe spoke in a meeting with the state governor, Hope Uzodiinma, at the government house in Owerri, after the emergence of a new speaker, Emeka Nduka.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, disclosed that Ibe was grateful to his colleagues for the opportunity to preside over the assembly.
Ibe reigned on Monday, paving the way for the emergence of a new speaker.
The statement revealed that the meeting with the governor afforded the past speaker of the assembly, the opportunity to explain why he resigned from office.
Ibe, who represents Obowo State Constituency, at the state assembly said he needed time to pursue his campaign electioneering as the 2023 general election draws closer. Noting that his successor, Nduka is most fitting to occupy the office now, “because he is not contesting in the elections.”
Uzodimma told the gathering, which included political appointees, APC state executives and other heads of government agencies, that the coming together was a deliberate way of creating bonding for members of the three arms of government for greater productivity.
The governor said he brought the entire arms of the government together for them to ,”re-evaluate themselves and their performance in Imo politics and access their successes and failures.
“Identity mixture has been the issue, yet within the party top brass, the decision and determination is to make the place called Imo State a friendly place to live.”
The governor added that the target of the party and its members was to have a meeting point where they must agree and review their work and ensure they function well and efficiently.
Uzodimma, who described the day as special, thanked the leadership and members of the Imo State House of Assembly, as well as the leaders in the state who had been with him since 2020 and reminded them that, “democracy has come to stay and it will be better practiced and consummated when the politicians, understand themselves better.”
He reminded all that as one political family they needed to operate as a network where people can identify and see them as those working together for a common interest and goal.
He urged the aggrieved members of the party, who did not clinch ticket at the primaries, to not go about complaining, pleading with them and all those who are aggrieved to, “consider the sense of reasoning, forgive and forget and join hands to achieve the bigger target of winning the elections for the party.”
Adding that he had been trying to put on ground some observable achievements needed by the candidates of the party to convince the people of Imo State and even the opposition to support and vote for them during the elections, insisting that the gains were recorded through the 3R mantra of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery.
Uzodimma said, “As a leader my responsibilities include attracting respect and dignity to the party and its members. I acknowledge the essence of separation of powers in a democracy, and what makes democracy thick and strong is the clause of separation of powers – Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.”
“However, in every strata there must be a head and as such the leader of the executive is the head of the three arms of government.”
“It is important the arms of government realise the need to forge a common front and a common objective that will help the government of the day to realise its vision and mission.” He added.
The governor reiterated his believe in the Nigerian project and urged the gathering to, “Ask some pertinent questions of where we are, where we want to go and how do we get to where we want to go?”
He added that, “Nigeria is a federation, the Igbos and the South-East is only a federating unit. The rest of Nigeria can form a quorum and also has two-third that can dissolve the meeting. The consequences of this is that Nigeria can move forward without us, therefore we need Nigeria more than Nigeria needs us.”
The governor encouraged the entire people of the South-East, to work hard and defend their positions today so that the generations unborn will remember them positively.
PUNCH
